BB1

You know what, if I could give you a gold star award I would gladly give you one. Unfortunately I don't have that kind of money currently but please accept this quickly acquired jpg of a gold star as a token of my appreciation and honest respect to a fellow foodie. I 100% agree, there are plenty of options that we could get. I would LOVE to see it come one day but until then we just have to wait and salivate.

This is more or less a "reasonable wish list with some extra spice" Finally finishing off the repaving of the parking lot, we got midway, now we just need to finish it off. Would absolutely love to see some new food options come in 23. I know Chef Major has done alot of work on our food options at the park, (He's honestly my favorite "big name" in the park, I'm sorry Don we still love you) but I would love to see some touch ups at some of the locations to see if there are new options that could come to the park. I E steak option like at Farmhouse in CP at Coney BBQ, maybe some form of rotating wings menu at the Chicken Shack, etc. I would love to see some new paint on a few attractions, most notably Diamondback. Rounding everything off I wanted to highlight one key thing I think Kings Island really needs: Restroom TLC. If not even every restroom in the park, at least some modifications and upgrades to make them more modern. With that being said, I don't need all of this, or really any of this to be happy. I'm honestly impressed with all of the work KI has done over the past year and wouldn't blame them for taking a year off of park modifications at this point.

If you have yet to do Land of Illusion, do Land of Illusion. Definitely hit up the haunted trail, however I would say coming back is always hit or miss for return visits. Dent School House really kicks it into gear. Amazing theming, an amazing team, it's well worth your ticket and some. (Friendly reminder they are open on Thursday nights too) Brimstone has been hit or miss from what I have heard however I am planning on coming this season as it has been on my hit list for a few years now. I will also add if you want something that is unique, check out Sandyland Acres. Their hayride, while not really scare heavy, is really just fun and somewhat comical. The haunted barn actually wasn't that bad and was pretty nice a few years ago.

I have several friends who have worked at KI's Haunt, everyone comments how it's a whole team effort. To actually set up and put down takes a lot of time and effort to get it rolling; the park isn't on the WDW budget, it's a regional park budget. I can be very critical on the park at times only because I love it and I seriously just want the best for the park to grow. I had the opportunity to work it several times when I was employed at KI, never took it and I still regret it. (Can't do it now because I finally landed a career but would have loved to in the past)

Actually somewhat surprised that we don’t have a lot of theming up yet. A few stages but no major sets from what I’ve seen.

My honest response to this is look at several of the most recent "dark/flat rides" that have come out over the past few years. Snake River Expedition is a prime example of a practically non-interactive Cedar Fair attraction that guests absolutely love. Look at the plethora of dark rides in the Florida parks and many do not have any interactivity nor do they need it. It creates alot more complexity for the ride and honestly in my opinion ruins the whole guest experience. I've had that belief since I first rode the Scooby Doo conversion when I was a kid. Suffice to say that taking out the shooter aspect probably would reduce a lot of wear and tear on the attraction and would be a way to consolidate on an enjoyable guest experience for everyone. That being said guests back when PT opened didn't know of PT before hand, however now guests and more specifically families have been reintroduced to the characters within the attraction. I believe if anything it will become a massive hit based off of the responses this year and the

If you told me 10 years ago that I would expect CF to theme their properties very well, I would have laughed. Now we live in a very theme heavy park chain that focuses on creating stories within their parks. No doubt in my mind that we couldn't get a major Oktoberfest made by some made up character (Herr Konig (King in German) comes to mind). Easily plop down 2-3 new flats in the area, redux the Festhaus and the "Hanks" offerings (Come on just make it a quick service sausage hut a la Schmidt's or something), take out the biergarten next to Festhaus and maybe re-arrange the food arrangements in the area. For as much as I love Auntie Ann's, I think for us to have a fully stocked pretzel stand with custom pretzels/spreads would be an amazing addition. We have a lot of potential with that side of the park we just need a full year of expansions for the park to actually get it.

The interesting part about that is the map shows it behind Orion like a few years ago. Yet the attraction is listed in Action Zone.

....This was a memory I 100% did not remember till just now. I would have LOVED to been a fly on the wall when the park mgt was discussing the haunt that year!

So what I don't think people understand is that KI doesn't necessarily need a new attraction for 2023. Kings Island still is building up their merchandising game, they are still making improvements on food packages (Even though if Chef Major is reading this you are absolutely clobbering the competition right now) and there is still a lot of TLC they can offer for the park. Am I upset that we didn't get anything? Somewhat yeah, I would have loved to see a new addition for the park to move forward. However I can also rest on the fact that we did just get a major Giga (which many of my peers have been slobbering over for years mind you), that should satisfy your hunger for a new addition for quite sometime. Am I upset with how KI didn't get a "new addition for 2022"? Yeah, but at the same time we just got a REALLY nice entertainment package that for once I can say really stood out; coupled with the Timberwolf Theater finally getting some TLC and some amazing concerts. Oh and let's not forget a major retrack of The Beast and a major refresh of Racer. Those were our new attraction funds being put to work, hence why the sting isn't as bad. I am cautiously optimistic that this year was a test to see if the fans want Phantom Theater back, and they do. To have a ride already set up before gauging guest approval is daft, to have a ride set up maybe a season or two after having such a successful show on the ride would be a very wise decision on behalf of the park. I am also cautiously optimistic that we could see a new foodie option finally coming up.....Like ripping out Outer Hanks and putting in a sit down or patio covered German restaurant with authentic sausages, pork and steak. (Call it Herr Konig's or something, make it unique) We already know that part of the park has some future expansion plans, so to have a food option that is different, and that can handle such a surge of guests besides Festhaus would be a boon to the park. We have the main guy behind corporate food offerings at our park, Chef Major has done some amazing things for the park and I honestly hope that they capitalize on his experience with a new option like this. Or maybe the park goes a different direction and puts a new smokehouse style restaurant back where the Big Box o'FUN (R) is currently in Rivertown. We have options, the park needs new options, even if we don't get any of these I'm sure the park is going to do some TLC jobs on rides like Diamondback to finally give a consistent coat of paint to one of the icons of the park.

I believe TTD will probably be a soft open next year. It’s something I think the park will evaluate throughout the off season and will see when they want to reopen the ride. As for the Corkscrew demo, I am 100% on the same page however the movement of the flats from that area really makes an argument for the park to put in something new.

https://www.carowinds.com/new-in-2023?fbclid=IwAR1auz5NESXgAwTpW70_uIQIFSu1AX0KvPgFzlH_YG1KGZ6tQjJtavJEFyY&fs=e&s=cl Huge flat ride package, I’m impressed!

It used to be an arcade

Pink's.... A travesty to lose my favorite hot dog joint from CP's line up, would love to see it come to parks like KI but considering current mgt at the restaurant that doesn't look very bright.

I'm not jumping on the bandwagon till I figure out a few answers: 1. Is the one front of the line pass only for KI or is it for all CF parks with the upgraded tier? 2. Is there an all season long dining plan and drink plan option? (As of now I can't find any) 3. Should there be a food and drink option, is it reciprocated to other parks like the Platinum pass? Until I get any answers on this I'm fine not spending an extra few hundred bucks on my pass.

I for one would not be excited for this. We already have a Festhaus, which isn't being used to it's full potential. I would much rather see the sky ride return or something akin to Der Spinning Keggers, or some form of flat ride for that part of the park. Currently, it is the ride desert of the park. Only boasting Adventure Express, the park really doesn't have anything to write home about. I for one would be very excited if we saw something like a "reimagined Oktoberfest" renovation like we did with Action Zone a few years ago. German flair in all of the restaurants, an actual biergarten that isn't choked by beer sales inside of the Festhaus, the sky ride, der spinning keggers in the plot behind the Coke Marketplace. We have so much potential under the new management with both CF and KI, who wants to flesh out their areas; so I'm not saying it's too far fetched.

It is honestly to be expected, however I still go to the parks for dollars and cents per visit at this point. While yeah I will admit it will be a pain to pay a few extra dollars a month for my pass, I'm still getting my money's worth with a few trips to CP, plenty to KI, and one to Knott's.

I don't really see an issue with putting Phantom Theater as an I Street attraction, I think it is close enough and it won't be too much of a scary façade for the kids. Inside? Yeah probably will be a bit much but you could argue the same for the end of BBoBH. I think a 1 for 1 reimagining of the ride would be an incredible addition for the park. Without major use of screen technology hopefully. I think with modern tech and some liberties with a more classic flair, it will become a great way to get some time out of the heat. I will stress this though, beyond all else please no more shooting. I hate the shooting aspect, it ruins the whole ride.

Under the current system? For park goers like myself not much. I check my personal "fun" email once every week-two weeks tops. I'm sure there are families of 4 who will use the above promotion for a day out on the park but the perks "system" doesn't really feel like a system, rather an automated distribution of bogo deals. Unless if there is some point system that requires x amount of visits by all passholders I don't see the vitality in the program until they can actually give better deals. Show me benchmarks, give me "points" for doing activities at the park, show me what I can get for coming to the park x many days per season. Heck, make it a rotating program to which you have a main season (APR-SEPT), Haunt season (SEPT-OCT), and a Winterfest season (NOV-DEC). I would not be bothered to be told okay you get a 10% off after your 50th day visit at the park, 25% off after your 100th, etc. Tours, food experiences, discounts, access to special park events that have an upcharge (for my current and former KI employees think ride nights, get a region in the park to ride till a certain time of night). I just don't want to see a system like this go to waste.

So I just checked my email and come to find out I do have a pass perk reward....BOGO popcorn which I never buy when I'm at the park . I LOVE the concept of getting discounts for going to the park more often, even though every time I go my price per visit goes down exponentially due to food and drink purchases. I see that they are working on it however this kind of pass perk just doesn't work for me. If I got a 10% off coupon for merch every some odd visits I would 100% use it, same for some form of coupon for a food item or beverage. Or maybe give us one free VIP area access once you hit x amount of visits (which speaking of I have yet to see that area being used). I truly hope the park sees this and is aware that we do want to spend our money at the park (my wallet hurts every two weeks from buying posters), but BOGO's just aren't my forte.

So I have said this once and I will say it again, I am not holding my breath for Haunt this year. For the past several years (baring covid) I have found the whole Haunt experience lacking under what I can only perceive as new leadership. Haunt circa 2010-2018 honestly kicked it up a notch every year and I loved it. As of late, it feels like most of the haunt budget just isn't there or is used for some honestly really corny lanterns/shows that I refuse to even attend at this point. I genuinely miss Trail of Terror, Carnevil, heck I even miss midget wrestling, and that's saying something. If we don't see at least a new scare zone or a new house it will really be upsetting. Considering it is the big anniversary year for Kings Island, here are some classic Haunts I would love to see come back: Carnevil - This should have never been taken out, one of my favorite classic haunts that I still miss today. Holiday Horror - Honestly still a classic haunt, I miss it dearly. Tombstone Terror-Tory - While it probably couldn't go the original track I would still love to see it come back in some way. I am seriously hopeful that Urgent Scare, Wolf Pack and Backwoods are still in the line up for this year too.

As someone who was a kid who went to the park often, I can say I never once acted out in any group period. I would marathon Beast during ERT and during the day for years on end, IIRC from 2008-2011 it was on the ERT list at least for the fall when I rode it the most. I went to the waterpark often as a kid, never ran, only got yelled at once because the guard thought I ran up the stairs when I didn't . As for the overall Soak City experience; I'm probably the only one who goes to the waterpark semi regularly on this site. I'm impressed with how security has been operating however the waterpark itself is bleeding for staffing, every single year. My recommendation is to go to the lifeguard stations around the waterpark if you need help (Right Tidal, lane near Mondo, station infront of old Kookabura and the station at the lip of the lazy river). 7-10 times there should be a supervisor to help, please note I do not represent the park in any shape or form .

Beastie, Haunt, Winterfest, Soak City, Boomerang Bay, Flying Eagles, Area 72, Oktoberfest, maybe even classic Action Zone. I already have the I Street poster, Banshee (before IP), Bat and Mystic Timbers. Made To Thrill honestly hits it out of the park with every addition they make for the parks. I'm at the point where I have to rotate out posters in my office due to wall space; which is a good problem!

The top brings joy, the bottom brings pain. I strolled around the gardens on Monday, I was very impressed with the detail and the dedication they put into the whole history walk.

I think this kind of aligns with the age old concept of "Any press is good press". This just stinks of something foul. Mind you, as I sit with my formerly Dorito stained hands on the illustrious keyboard of Dell: the park has yet to make any official statements on any social medias period.