BB1

A snippet of the new products for Winterfest in the North Pole Mercantile. The red and white hoodie definitely feels like a nod to Banshee merch in the lettering.

Which days will you be doing the parks?

Okay I can step in here and give some clarification. The associate at bottom plunge is to pulse the amount of people on the stairwell, but also to make sure you don’t have metal that cannot be worn on the drop box slides. As I’m sure you would be very upset (as many were when I was a lifeguard) that you waited 20 min to be told no due to metal. As for security, I know they patrol around that area as it’s pretty vacant/scarce and they don’t want any unsavory individuals doing unsavory things. Of course the one section of the park that has the least lifeguard foot traffic will have more security. Never mind the fact that being down there by yourself later in the evening was always difficult to tell someone not to run as that section stays slick and can lead to some serious injuries if you’re not safe.

There are a lot of reasons why companies have ebbs and flows on the market. For some this is great news, others this is terrible news. (This is not financial advice, nor is it put out to be such) I'm not at all surprised with how SIX has turned out. The haunt program absolutely was a flop, sure you squeezed out some more dollars but at the cost of losing your trust of your most loyal fanbase who is honestly probably the biggest driver of costs. Which, I'm glad they called out the "upgrades" as they removed several spots where scareactors would be housed and added in animatronics instead. This year alone we saw disjointed enforcement of the chaperone policy, lackluster PR communication and now we're seeing the "biggest sale of the year" leak into practically month 3. Is that an indicator of poor sales or a desperate plea to get people to go to other poorer performing parks? Let's not even forget the preferred parking fiasco that I now deal with every time I go to KI. (Last time I kid you not the attendant said good luck finding a spot". Notice how they are not promoting the silver pass anymore and mainly the gold pass, how the park passport has literally been cheapened out beyond belief. I can honestly say, this is the most absurd management of a chain I have ever seen. The product is far cheaper, which will create more logistical problems I don't think this management can really handle. The chain is not working, the combined company experience is going belly up at the altar of "synergies" and the shareholder, who is now feeling a ~46% reduction in value from this time last year. In my humble opinion, demerge, cut your losses, if that means we lose a smaller park or two so be it, but this experiment has gone on far enough. Again, this should not be taken as financial advice, nor is an intention to solicit any transaction associated with the FUN stock.

I’ll be back down in Orlando in a week-two weeks depending on how I schedule things out but ultimately will probably wait to revisit epic till November! I would definitely say the SDR hype is back and people are going crazy to get back on it.

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.

Stardust is open and is in normal operations! Currently in line, no augmentations or changes made

Update: the coaster is still testing and has yet to open.

I’m at the park today and I’m planning on being there on ride within the first few cars!

Went through the Order of the Dragon, way too dark even for my standards. As you enter there’s a piece of plywood in the ballroom scene that was really sharp and proceeded to cut my arm/elbow while walking in. Mind you, it’s so dark that I didn’t even know I was about to brush up against the wall but it hurts. Yes I spoke to mgt, yes I made them aware of where it’s at and finally I did get first aid. IMO it’s a fun concept, love the parts you can actually see but where you can’t it just feels lacking.

Alright a few thoughts from my trip last weekend 1. HHN is SOLID in terms of houses and scare zones, but seriously is lacking with the Tribute Store. The Mummy/Tribute Store integration just doesn't work and becomes a pain to get around the store and actually buy product. I'll post my rankings a little later as I'm still figuring it out (I'm tied between 3 houses being my #1 which is honestly telling of how good this year is!) 2. Epic still is pretty Epic, lines were long DK was down all day for me but nevertheless operations tried to keep cadence. 3. HHN Merch seriously needs some limits, half of the Fallout merch was sold out when I arrived on Thursday and even then what I actually wanted just wasn't in stock. I'll be back on the 3rd, then probably another visit the weekend of the 17th!

9 years later and 5 out of the 7 wishes got granted. Funnily enough we technically did get a partial retheme of Soak City for the children’s space.

Finally, can say I have 10 rides on RR for the season. Definitely not the biggest or baddest water coaster out there, far from it. I've said time and time again that we needed a water coaster. Sure, I wish it was longer, but it actually is a fun slide that gets the job done. Lugging up the tubes, not an issue for me or my groups that I've been up with. The drop was pretty enjoyable, the open curve around was a nice addition. Overall, both sides are pretty comparable to each other with no major differences. I would rank it pretty high in the overall line up of the more "intense" slides at the water park. I would still say Tropical Plunge's long drop tube slide (the green one) is still my favorite, with close second being center Pineapple and third being RR. I'm probably one of the fewer people who would consider themselves as an enthusiast of the waterpark side at the park; with that being said I would say it finally rounds out a glaring hole in our lineup. Would love to see some new speed slides or some bowl slides (cough cough bring over the slide complex from Six Flags America) come to the waterpark next whenever we get a new expansion.

As many know, people are gobbling up the new pass deals for Kings Island. I guess someone somewhere began a rumor about Prestige getting everyone into the VIP section if one person in your party has it (That is a myth, you get two VIP passes per year for non prestige guests), coupled with the passes dropping with the benefits it basically created an influx of new passholders. This, combined with preferred parking purchases, has created a literal nightmare for the past several weeks at the park in terms of using Preferred Parking. Last weekend had a corporate outing sure, but I had to basically go around the lot several times to get a spot. Today, I circled the lot like a shark for 15 minutes trying to find a spot; it was full and there was no way I was finding a spot. This created headaches for me, but I had to park at the end of the parking lot next to the exit and walk back to the front to get in. While walking back in, I witnessed not one but two altercations in the parking lot. One was a car was sitting waiting for another to get out, then one car sped down to get the parking spot the other car was waiting on, which led to the original waiting vehicle to speed into the spot which almost created a crash. Well, the individual who sped down to almost snatch the spot got out and walked straight to the other car's driver door and started a verbal argument over a parking spot. Yes, you read that right, an argument over a parking spot. I was watching the whole thing, as to be honest I was worried that it would lead to a physical attack. The individual, noticing I'm standing there watching, walked back to their car and drove off, but not even before she got back in her car another argument erupted in the next lane over for parking. At this point, they were yelling so loud and getting heated I went to security to report the matter as it was escalating. My main point is that Preferred Parking has become a serious thorn in my side and an issue for guest experience. They do not cap entry, they let people go in and circle and better yet, regular individuals who are not Prestige using the Preferred Parking benefits are using the lot with purchases. I'm at the point where I would rather see it become a Prestige exclusive to give some benefits, or for them to expand the preferred lot in one way or another as it is unattainable at this point to where people are literally getting into fights over it. Would love to hear some feedback/thoughts from others here as I know a few are Prestige passholders, others not but have certain views on the situation with the Preferred lot.

^Current plans are for the 11th-14th of Sept then the 3-5th of Oct and probably another on the 17th-19th of Oct at this point. Every Friday in October has been approved way in advance so I’ll have plenty of time. I’m going to shoot for a day at epic each time just to get some time in but I’m hoping they have something special for Halloween in Darkmoor.

Ironically enough non FL residency is only $10.00 more for the 2 park no volcano bay per month. I’ve been estimating that it would probably knock my monthly price up by 30 bucks minimum which to be honest is still not terrible. Disney, however, in all of their magnificence requires non FL residents to fork out the money upfront. Renewal this year at least was somewhat cheaper! (By 300 bucks after taxes) At this point I would just rather see UOR put something in writing that hey you’re getting this in 2026 which I expected for them to make that announcement for AP appreciation.

^I’m down there enough to be a local, once every month-2 months and spending 120-170 for an epic ticket each time has not been the best experience. I’m hoping they drop an ap for USO IOA EPIC for 2026 soon!

Haunt merch has dropped at KI! The skyline hoodie looks great, the 25 years design? Not so much.

I’m calling the park today to figure out how to even do my pass for 2026 as I’m confused on how to go about my pass upgrades. Which is sad because in years past I knew how to do my pass, not anymore. 20+ years of being a passholder, 10 of which I’ve been buying out of my own pocket and this is by far the craziest year for it.

For full transparency, I've been busy this year. Between going to Epic several times, Cedar Point and a slew of other regional parks; I haven't been able to or engaged with the park as I usually am by this point in the year. However, with that being said this year is a serious let down. I have been to the waterpark a few times this year and noticed every time the same inefficiencies and lack of guest experience being the forefront of park operations. The following is going to be a rant that is fueled by the fact that I have been going to this waterpark religiously for the past 20+ years which is wild for me to think about but is true. That, coupled with my actual experience as a lifeguard who worked in Soak City, cross trained on both sides of the waterpark knowing the ins and outs of everything before Tropical Plunge in operations; I would like to think I know a thing or two. I was grateful that I did learn how Tropical Plunge operated from friends who worked at the park, those days however are over as most of the people I knew now are in some form of park management or operations at KI and other parks that may or may not be in sunny central Florida. That being said, the expansion was a breath of fresh air but the waterpark feels like it was supposed to be switched to a new theme and was honestly half baked. The didgeridoos and the spouts on the river are painted to a green and brown, willows have been planted across the action river, the children's area in splash landing has been repainted to reflect a more earthy tone and lastly a whole section of the park is effectively themed to a lake/river section. Even the main store was repainted and feels like something out of a camp site than a tropical oasis. Listen, I will beat the Boomerang Bay drum all my life as I loved that era of the waterpark. However, at least with the Soak City retheme it was pretty conclusive and the theme flowed through the whole waterpark. This.....just stands out in a negative way. It feels as if, in my opinion, the park was supposed to retheme the waterpark but didn't have enough funding to actually follow through. Instead of just adding what they did, they just painted a solid portion of the rest of the water park in this pseudo themed area of the waterpark. I wish almost that they created some form of cohesion, maybe retheme mondo and make that whole section into the "river country"; which I would have been all for as that's a unique take on how to do sections in a waterpark. The cost cuts are, well, for a lack of better terms frustrating especially on weekdays where you have to trek to the edges of the waterpark for an actual drink stand instead of the lines of the Island Smokehouse. Operations are honestly my biggest gripe with the new focus on "synergies". Listen, I come from a time when Pineapple Pipeline and Tropical Twisters were always the first to close off for staffing. I understand how the park can hemorrhage lifeguards through the season however the operational efficiency is just not there. Thunder Falls is honestly where this post really came from. I spent a full HOUR waiting for this slide, both at the bottom and at the top. Both times I have been to the waterpark this year Green was closed off, and Blue was the only operating slide. This led to a very poor customer experience, as I waited so long I could not believe it was so slow. The chain speaks of cost cutting measures, of closing off drink stations, of reductions in parks but can keep in it's budget to have a slide that is not being used as an asset for guest experience is wild to me. Now I can imagine you're probably thinking "Well BB1, it costs money to have a lifeguard staffed up there." I agree, but why did I see 3 lifeguards in the lazy river basically doing what 2 lifeguards can do. That is, two guards were handing tubes to guests and one was in the river sizing people for life jackets. There were even times when I worked there where we wouldn't have someone in and just have the sizer on duty to spiel. In my honest opinion, this is more of a cost to the waterpark efficiency than anything else. You can sit here and tell me cost cuts all day but when I see assets not being used and having excess in certain spots I see inefficiencies that should be addressed. Lastly, the employees this year are just really bland. I get it, dealing with guests who can be a bit much can be exhausting. However, to be basically barked to go up the stairs for tropical plunge for the tubes is really upsetting to when I worked there. No one asks how are you, no one really smiles and interacts. Basic task, no questions asked, no interaction besides here is how to ride now go. I hate the fact that every time I went I really didn't get the interactions I gave or I got in years past. You deliver fun, you should want to be fun and have fun at work while also maintaining safety at it's highest measure. Have I been spoiled by Universal? No because I remember how the park was a decade ago and this is totally different. That being said there are a few good things that came this year. The new security process is fluid and straightforward. The new waterslide doesn't do much, is kind of a lug to bring up your tube, but is a fun slide that checks the box of what I wanted from the waterpark. (Is it as long and as dynamic as I wanted? Far from it, but like the "Giga" the park gave just enough to say hey we gave you what you asked for. I appreciate the new trees, wish there were more trees but I appreciate the move to try to give more greenery; but we're still miles away from what we had prior to 2012. I know most people here really aren't interested in Soak City, but I felt like this needed to be addressed. Before you ask, yes I'm planning on giving guest feedback when I come back this weekend. What are your thoughts this point in the season?

I’ll ditto what Tim said, posted usually was less. Even ministry was quoted an hour and we got on in 45 min. Monsters keeps a low wait time due to the nature of the attraction.

The fact I know more about USO HHN than KI Haunt is upsetting, but also I just don't have many circles left in the KI Haunt sphere. (Ironically, everyone goes to Cedar Point or just skips it and goes to Orlando) From the photos I saw I could easily see that being pirates or something medieval. Could easily see the park try out something like a pirate haunt after the success last year or just create a torture ren fair concept based on the photos posted. SIX has been working with external properties but the implementation absolutely was atrocious. It just wasn't up to par and I would be hard pressed to think the parks would be OK with continuing with a very lackluster offering of a major property. I hope that KI can bring a really next level event this year, the likelihood of that happening is the same of me not going to HHN Orlando 15 times this year (which is happening, getting the pass with express)

After being at the park for a full week and really taking some time at some other parks here are a few thoughts. Epic, is arguably going to be the biggest fish in the theme park industry for the next decade for how advanced it is. The food, rides and hospitality are blended effortlessly with cutting edge technology and actual creativity. There are a lot of Universal original staff members at Epic, but also a pretty good contingent of Disney crossovers. If you are planning on going to Epic, take some time, give yourself a few days at the park and really enjoy yourself. If you want an extra day or a few extra days all universal hotels had tickets when I was down there a few weeks ago. Dark Universe is arguably my favorite section, it's every horror fan's dream and they aren't done with it yet. The fact that USO is already starting on the expansion pads moving forward is wild to me but a strong belief that the park has so much potential. I went to USO, IOA, and every Disney park after my visit and felt so underwhelmed after my experience at Epic. I'm going to post a full review of the park in the next few days but I can't help but say bravo USO for creating such a unique product. I'll be back down in July and then in September, October & December or November so I can't wait to see what they bring to the table moving forward.

I’ll post a full breakdown later but just a snip of where I’m at: 1. I’ve ridden every attraction at Epic now, Monsters Unchained the Frankenstein Experiment is arguably the best ride here. 2. Save Ministry till the end of day or around lunch, quoted 90 waited 35. 3. Stardust Racers is a brilliant coaster, green is more air time and intensity focused while yellow is more speed and flow. 4. Helios is the best resort on property and the Athenian Punch is immaculate. 5. the Opening Day ticket has a digital medallion, it’s a NFT, which requires a wallet.

The rest of the park is barely even busy. We did Frankenstein, Werewolf and Hiccups with walk ons essentially. Just got to pizza moon the Ube pizza and pizza nicarossa? Is AMAZING!