DoomPlague

I like the Route 66 idea. Make jukebox a roadside diner. Replace the ugly theming in Backlot with some cacti and desert plateaus, etc.

I consider it all Coney Mall but with the way the Antique Autos wiped out part of the midway there, that corner feels more like its own thing. They could easily retheme the area including Backlot, The Vortex plot and WindSeeker as something else.

My earliest memories of Oktoberfest (in the 80s) don't even really include this area really. There was always Festhaus and Viking Fury (which doesn't actually fit the theme) and those are remaining. I have a much bigger attachment to Adventure Express and I have no interest in seeing that reimagined as some german theme. Oktoberfest was always a bit of an awkward theme because there are limited ways to use it and it seems out of place compared to the other themes. I get its original purpose and I want to see it remain on some level but this new retheme makes more sense to me. Also, Hank's is one of the two best places to eat in the park. I would rather keep the burritos and retheme it. From the corporate perspective, I'm guessing this new theme has broader appeal and the similarities with Knott's and KD's newest themes probably helps with costs.

3 is the Freestyle. Maybe it will now have the real-sugar Coke that they have in much of latin america. Funny how the basketball game appears in the art.

That's definitely what I'm getting out of the concept art. New, themed entrance and updated paint on the statues maybe? I do have concerns about crowding in that area. The midway there is already a bottleneck for the park.

So will Oktoberfest just be Festhaus and Viking Fury? Or will it even exist? I'm happy to see this. Wish they could have thought of a less generic name though.

Considering the timing, they may just be announcing a year round schedule like KD and Carowinds.

I would certainly hope to see more indoor attractions and indoor restaurants. Tumbili opened on a cold weekend in mid-March. It only ran for a little bit because the temperature hovered around 34-35 degrees. Also, how does that affect maintenance? I know some year round parks only run 1-2 trains on certain rides because there's usually one train out for yearly refurbishment.

Seems like we'll be seeing the Nebulaz popping up allover the place. It's definitely an eye-catching attraction.

Personally I think Banshee needs it more simply because the more naturally looking color of Diamondback works fine when faded, especially in an area of the park that's supposed to be more rustic. Can't really say that about a purplish-red (what color is that?) tracked ride in an area with a lot of colorful signage/buildings/etc.

Can't believe they gonna do Jay Mohr like that

Ragging on Orion has become a bit of a meme and many enthusiasts will hold on to their disappointment for years, all while Millennium Force is still riding on its fame from 20 years ago. Also, no one really respects the Golden Tickets. I prefer Diamondback over Orion...but I also prefer Orion to Millennium Force (though its close). Orion may not have the airtime of DB but it consistently has more than Millie. With that said, Millennium Force was a record breaker and Orion clearly has not overshadowed it. Banshee is a bigger, faster ride than Raptor was but B&M inverts were a dime a dozen by the time it was built. So while I don't know what KI's decision making process is, I do think there is probably truth in the idea that CP relies on its reputation as a park that builds big, great rollercoasters and that that may affect what other CF parks get to build.

I don't want to act entitled. The park obviously doesn't owe me anything. But none of those potential models sound like a good addition to me. Their hyper models are great but other than that, B&M's are remarkably uninteresting coasters these days especially in a park that already has three. And I'm very much not alone in that thinking.

I do expect KI to eventually get an expanded/rethemed area like we're seeing at other larger CF parks and I'm all for it.

It also mentions S&S....Ceramic Tile Company. Clearly just a cover for a new air launch coaster. But in all seriousness, I would love if it B&M was brought in to do something about Banshee's roughness. It was really bad on a couple of my rides this year. Also, I thought Gravity Kraft was the TGG division that built timberliners?

I went last night (opening night) as well. Didn't do any mazes because I did all 5 last year and figure I might save the new one for when I'm there with more people. Mostly had a good time but it was more crowded than I was hoping. I went the first friday last year and the crowds were much lighter with basically the same exact weather. Also, I didn't realize the Halloween food items aren't available until the 25th. They should have waited a couple days before putting up the signs. A little disappointed regarding the fog as well. Though I get it if they scaled it back for safety or security reasons but I remember going years ago and the park being completely filled with it. I loved that, especially the view when on taller rides.

Saw a big line for it on racer 15 minutes ago. I think it's being misreported on the app

Nah. I'm always interested in food options even though I'm a picky eater who avoids a lot of things. Its just that the season is winding down and there isn't as much to talk about.

A lot of enthusiasts, especially the younger ones, view Cedar Point as their sacred cow, often to the point of being obnoxious. I wonder if the voters are put off by that too. It seems to be human nature to let zealous fandoms affect our views of things like amusement parks, sports teams, products, etc.

I could see enthusiasts (which is a very small contingent of potential guests) holding off because of Matugani but I doubt the GP paid that much attention. Honestly, it sounds like they made a lot of mistakes including creating a brand new park in such a remote location. They bought a used SLC apparently without knowing about the model's terrible reputation and a used Intamin accelerator that was bound to have issues. I hope things come together for them but we probably shouldn't be surprised if the park continues to struggle.

Did the terms ever actually change or just the enforcement? I don't recall ever seeing those things promised for other parks and always assumed they were not included.

Opted to go to Cedar Point for the first, and possibly only, time this year. Last year I went the final week of weekday operation (which would be next week) and had very light crowds. I knew this week wouldn't be quite that good but I might have other plans next week. Got in the park just after 10 and got two hop-ons on GateKeeper including the front. I've warmed up to the ride. In fact, I think I like it more than Raptor. Everyone is kind of down on wing coasters but that's probably because B&M loopers are so common now. They give you actual visibility outside the front row and that's a big plus to me. After a ride on Tiki Twirl (trying to check off rides I haven't done), we skipped across to Raptor and went front row. Aimed for front row on a number of rides because I usually go to the back or middle and don't know when I'll be back. Anyways, Raptor is definitely not as smooth as it used to be but still fun enough. A little overrated, imo. Got in line for Valravn and it was probably 40 minutes. I knew it would probably lighten up later in the day but because of the park's long, narrow layout, I didn't want to come back to it. It's a fine support ride either way. Had one of my better rides on Blue Streak. There is so much play with the up-stops on that thing. It felt like the cars were coming up several inches off the track. Waited maybe 25-30 minutes for Millennium Force. Again, I had one of the better rides I've had. I felt legitimate floater airtime which often escapes me on it. Opted to eat at the new Farmhouse restaurant because they have steak on the dining plan. Not sure what cut they use but the steak comes in strips and you get a decent amount. It was brown and fairly tender. A bit heavy on the steak seasoning but overall it was good. Got it with the red-skinned potatoes which had a tasty, crispy skin to them. Had a 45 minute wait on Maverick. I'm not sure I've ever been on Maverick without waiting 40-60 or so minutes even on light days. Again, I aimed for the front and Maverick continues to be my favorite ride in the park. Those quick transitions and the second launch are just a lot of fun to me and it doesn't punish me the way certain other rides do... Steel Vengeance's line was surprisingly short but there was a maintenance delay. They announced they were taking a train out of rotation, so I decided to stay knowing that wouldn't be too long. I did notice they were letting way more people than I've seen in the past in to the locker/station area, so that added to the wait. After my rides last season, I've been torn about SteVe. Honestly, I understand why people rave about it but find it just too painful to love. Bad restraints and the boarding process don't help. Before getting to the station I saw an extra couple in the front line queue who clearly asked for the front and decided to do the same. But when I asked (for 2 people), the attendant insisted on row 4. I don't like to fuss and just went to row 4 but I saw no reason to not accommodate the request. Don't want to whine about it but I wish they were more consistent. Like I said, they had clearly let two other people ask for the front. Anyways, the ride is wild for sure but those small ejector hills really hurt me and the restraint makes it worse. Near the end of the day, I was riding alone, so understandably the attendant wanted me to stick with another single rider in row 2, but seconds later he said I could go to the front because another single came behind me. I appreciated that considering what happened earlier. And I think I enjoyed the front more than the back. Got a quick ride on Cedar Creek Mine Ride (not a big fan). Then I continued down Arrow Alley and went to Gemini which for some reason had at least a 20 minute line. Skipped that and went to Magnum which was a walk-on. Not a huge fan of Magnum because it often feels like someone is smacking my lap with a steel pipe. But we did row 17 twice in a row and I decided that was kind of fun. We then rode Corkscrew which...is what it is. I miss Vortex. Continuing to check off flat rides that I either haven't done or don't remember doing, we did Matterhorn, Lake Erie Eagles, and the train. I forgot how much of that skeleton scenery the train has. Wish KI would up its game in that department. We eventually hit Gemini when the line shortened. It's a decent ride but it is weirdly overrated by some people. For supper, we considered Back Beat Q but we do BBQ all the time at KI. Took a hike to Hugo's instead. Got the Pepperoni Piadina which is a flatbread wrap filled with pepperoni and cheese (so similar to Stromboli and calzones). It was pretty good but I wonder if the caesar salad I got as the side is what gave me food poisoning by the time I got home. Got in line for Iron Dragon but it had a delay and we bailed. Not a fan of that one anyways. Didn't bother with Rougarou either. Took the sky ride to save our feet a little bit. Got a reasonably quick ride on Millie (10-15 minutes maybe) and a decently short wait on SteVe and called it a day even though Maverick had, for once, a shorter than usual wait. In all it was a pretty good day. The lines were unpredictable but most were short. The crowd there seemed to be mostly vacationers. One thing I noticed is that many rides were running with one train in storage including Magnum and Corkscrew. Gemini was running one side. This wasn't the case on my trip on a lighter day last year but the extra trains clearly weren't needed.

Have the other intamin prefabs had issues like this? I believe SFGAdv creates its own prefab track pieces, so I wonder about its quality. Though honestly, as good as those rides may be, the fully prefab wood coaster concept appears to have failed. You pay steel coaster prices to build something that still needs re-tracked now and then and its expensive re-tracking to boot. Especially true now that we have new track options from Gravity Group and GCI.

From the official site: "Enjoy FREE PARKING, exclusive perks, discounts, and more with your 2023 Gold Pass. All Passholders: Enjoy FREE visits the rest of this year and UNLIMITED visits in 2023 at Kings Island." So you're good for this year, yes.

Also, has profanity always been banned? Seems like a strange rule for 2022, at least outside of kid friendly events like Trick or Treat.