SonofBaconator

I’d be fine with this^

Will we see holiday overlays?

With more and more people experiencing the magic bands at Disney’s properties, it would be something so familiar if it was implemented at their local Six Flags parks. IMO, the chain should invest in these for all parks but start with resorts-They would make perfect sense at CP with the resort set up they have that could be used for hotels, fast lanes, park entry, fun pics, etc. To your earlier point, they could also work at activation points for Haunt and Winterfest.

Has the park “maxed out” on their report potential? Is there a next “big leap” that they need to take? IMO, I think they need to “eat” at some of the onsite parking- primarily in the CP Shores Water park. Nearly 10 acres of land that could be purposed for another report, a waterpark expansion or even a dry park expansion. Not saying rip the whole thing out, but seeing all that space has me thinking.

IMO, there should be a sub section behind the Eiffel Tower like how you showed.

A question about how it operates – is there a version in which all the arms are raised and lowered at once for ease of loading/unloading?

I figured if it was the actual ride model, it would’ve appeared on this site by now, but it does look like the outer façade, especially with the entrance being on the corner

Is this a mockup of the layout behind her?

Hershey Park

I think if you included them on fastlane tickets, it would increase the value of the fastlane concept and be a decent upsell. Not every haunt would be converted, of course, but maybe one or two as a pilot.

I was always in the camp of converting neighboring Haunts to tie into the story. For example, retheme Slaughterhouse to The Beast.

There is some stuff that I think they could overlay between Haunt and Winterfest- for example how the Rivertown scare zone gets repurposed for Winterfest. You could keep the drive-in that you see for Winterfest- just put it up earlier and just play classic Halloween movies instead, so it’s less effort to switch over come Winterfest time.

I wouldn’t mind even the idea of escape rooms or other upsell type attractions in the haunted houses. Imagine if you buy a fastlane and the escape rooms would be included.

There are some cracked pavers too

And I’m 100% fine with that. I mentioned a while back, and you correctly named it, “in filling“ where the park focuses on little additions at a time. I’d prefer smaller approaches for less $$$.

I really hope the day go back to something similar to what the ride used to be, but I understand that the current entryway is more “grander“

I’m not trying to sound cynical, but I’ve seen front yard Christmas displays that look better than what guests watch on the train. I’m not saying there isn’t any physical effort being put in putting up the lights around the route but it’s been the same thing since 2017. Paramount went through the effort of pouring concrete footers and putting up huge billboards and having a show scene.

Swap the cars between engines and slap a wreath on the smokebox door: voila

Maybe they could render it orange and blue so we could see what a Vortex homage would look like.

@Orion-XL200 Heck, you could have a company sponsor the train ride for Winterfest too if it’s a budget thing to try and allocate some funds to the train. I don’t think anyone would be confident in voting it best holiday event if not all parts of the park aren’t 100%- and that goes for the train too. They don’t even decorate the locomotives with lights or wreaths.

There was a time when Kings Island had four indoor ride through attractions operating at once. Flight of Fear, Tomb Raider or The Crypt, Action Theater, and the kids dark ride all brought something different to the park, and together they created a level of variety that made the indoor lineup feel complete. When you compare that to today, where Flight of Fear and Phantom Theater are the only true indoor rides, it is easy to see how much that part of the park has shrunk. A third indoor attraction would not be unusual for Kings Island. It would simply move the park closer to the variety it once offered. Phantom Theater is a great addition, especially for families, but it cannot represent every type of indoor experience on its own. Kings Island used to offer several different styles of indoor attractions at the same time, and there is still plenty of room for something with a different style or tone. An interactive ride, a more modern concept, or a lighter themed attraction would fill a space that the current lineup does not fully cover, and it would give guests another option that fits outside the coaster focused offerings. This is where Action Theater naturally comes up. The original ride is gone and the inside is now used for a haunt, but the type of attraction that once operated there filled a role the park no longer has. Kings Island already has many haunted houses, so using that space only for seasonal events does not bring much to the main season. If the park ever found a way to bring back Action Theater in some form, or create a new indoor attraction with a similar purpose, it would reintroduce a style of experience that is currently missing. Adding another indoor ride would not repeat the past. It would simply expand the lineup in a way that feels natural for Kings Island. A new attraction inspired by the spirit of Action Theater, or a completely new concept altogether, would round out the park in a meaningful way and bring back a type of variety that used to be one of its strengths.

You didn’t miss much, nearly identical to last year‘s. I think that there should be more lights along the route for people to look at instead of the 12 days of Christmas. But as long as people ride it, I’m sure they see no effort in wanting to fix it.

It seemed somewhat dead for opening night, then again it is Black Friday, colleges were playing, and it was cold. Started to pick up as we were heading out after about 2 hours. Something felt lacking. Not having the dark ride (Boo Blasters/Phantom Theater) open hurt the appeal a bit as most people would flock there for warmth… but that’s a temporary issue. I still argue the train needs a change- the lights along the ride were starting to show their age. It’s a shame the park doesn’t have nearly as many dark rides at once did because something like tomb raider/the crypt or even the action theater would have been a welcomed ride for people trying to escape the frigid cold.

@BryanJay

IIRC, those were donated to the zoo so it was little to no cost for them. An ambitious ask, but I couldn’t imagine how much it would cost Six Flags to install panels in any of their lots without significant incentive. As someone who advocates for solar energy, there’s something cool about seeing the whole park unobstructed as you approach from the parking lot.