Pagoda Gift Shop

The food lines are likely to be longer than the ride lines.

You can buy this coaster model on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BF3F6M2/ Spoiler: The layout is exactly the same...and it's $15 cheaper. There does not appear to be any Kings Island or Beast labeling on the model itself, so you are paying $15 extra for a different color and a cardboard box that says "Beast" on it.

If the new coaster is not 300 feet tall, it would be a big deal for marketing. This is why despite the evidence so far, I feel it has to be taller. If it is not 300 feet, it would need to have some sort of other "gimmick" which would make it different from Diamondback. Otherwise it is just a "slightly taller and faster Diamondback". It is a very normal thing for a new ride to be compared to other rides at the same park, especially when pointing out what the new ride offers that is new.

Lion Country Giga Safari.

I'm very impressed by that drawing. Seems like the most feasible of any so far, well done @Hawaiian Coasters 325. (I hope it is not really blue and purple though )

I know, and I don't really expect them to at this point. I just like to point out the irony of the situation. The nostalgia is strong at Kings Island. I'm surprised they haven't ventured further into it by making more merchandise for other defunct attractions (although they would obviously be limited by Hanna-Barbera license restrictions). They have Zodiac signs all over the new car ride, and I bet 95% of the average guests have no idea that is a nostalgia reference.

Everything is becoming more and more fine grained in terms of ticket deals, passes, etc. Note that this deal is only good through June 15th. That means it has minimal impact on Soak City, which I would argue is a major reason many families buy season passes. They are trying to drive family attendance in the early part of the season with this deal. I personally don't think they will ever offer the pre-K pass at Kings Island. We don't have the season pass numbers (obviously), but with an included water park and the "World's Best Kids Area", I would think they are doing quite well when it comes to selling passes to pre-K families. The number of new families getting passes because of the deal would have to outweigh the lost revenue from existing families with pre-K kids.

I'm not sure how much Cedar Fair wanted Kings Island, so much as Dick Kinzel in particular wanted it. Those two things were somewhat synonymous at the time though. Canada's Wonderland and Carowinds are both located in places where the market is growing and expected to continue growing. It makes sense to invest in those areas for that reason. @BeastForever's post is pretty accurate in my opinion.

Adventure Express, Backlot, and Invertigo don't get a patch....but King Cobra does.

Maybe they will send it to the roller coaster museum, along with a train.

Yeah but it sounds like the fountain will be choreographed with the nightly fireworks and light show. It seems unlikely that they could have had all of that done prior to opening day. The more likely scenario is that they had the fountain "working" by opening day, but will be making updates until Memorial Day weekend.

I have yet to see any comments here regarding I-Street and the fountains which were not thoughtful. Not everything the park does is going to be well received, especially by the long term fan base. I think people here have pointed out positives and negative pretty equally.

I know that construction in the former Firehawk spot is somewhat expected by many at this point, but I think the truth is, they would have put that fence there regardless. At this point it is hiding an area that is still being demolished. It is unlikely anything but dirt will be there for months.

The park is closed during the week for almost another month. That is plenty of time for them to complete anything that is remaining to be tweaked. I agree that judgement should be reserved until that time. Also, thanks to everyone that shared pictures from tonight!

I think "Crowded Night" might be a better name.

I'm sad about the removal of all the full grown trees. There won't be any shade any more at any of the tables (assuming there will be tables) on the sides of the fountain. My guess is that they are aiming to improve the sight lines. The fountain will be a centerpiece no matter where you are on International Street. The nightly fireworks and light show will be fully visible from anywhere on the street as well.

Seems likely. The restaurant arrangement probably included the items being "loaned" to Kings Island.

I don't want to get too excited or overreact, but from this 1/1000th scale cartoon map, it seems obvious that this new fountain is going to rival the Fountains of Bellagio in Las Vegas.

Seemed like there was a lot of "dead space" in the Reds HOF Grill. I hope they remodel and can make better use of the entire building. I would expect the bar and outdoor space to remain pretty much the same.

What other names do you think "Flight Deck" was competing with at Kings Island?

This was a show that did an arena tour across the country. I remember going to it at the Nutter Center in Dayton. Ironically, I don't think I ever saw the show at Kings Island. I'm sure they saved a lot of money on production costs for the show by using the same format as the traveling show.

I think it will be Festhaus, no doubt. Put the gamers up on the stage and have TVs all over where people can watch.

I agree with not applying this to random strangers. However, I have often been in line and witnessed a group of 4 kids/teenagers who are clearly together, but then each take an individual glider on the ride. When that happens, capacity is absolutely crushed.

I must have missed when those ridership numbers for 2012-2014 were originally posted. If Vortex is still pulling anywhere close to 1 million riders per year (and I can't think of a reason it wouldn't be) I think there is very low chance it would be the ride being removed. For a long time now, the metric of "cost per rider" has been one that has been rumored to be an important evaluation number. It's not the only factor obviously, and we don't know the maintenance costs, so it is only one piece of the puzzle. I would think Backlot and Flight of Fear would be closer to their "end of life" than Vortex is.

So....I'm betting $100 that it will take place in the Festhaus. Yes?