SonofBaconator

Kings Island has always leaned more toward families than parks like Cedar Point, Magic Mountain, or Universal. That wasn’t always the case though. Before Cedar Fair bought the Paramount parks in the mid-2000s, KI was basically a thrill park going head-to-head with Cedar Point. That’s when we saw rides like the original Bat, backwards Racer, King Cobra, Vortex, Top Gun, Tomb Raider: The Ride, Delirium, Flight of Fear, Drop Zone, Face/Off, and Son of Beast. When Cedar Fair took over, rides like Diamondback, Banshee, Mystic Timbers, and Orion were more about catching KI up to the rest of the Cedar Fair chain and keeping pace with the other former Paramount parks - since most of them were getting big additions too. Hypers, inverts, modern woodies - other CF parks already had them. Now that KI has those, and with KI and Cedar Point in the same chain, it’s easier to see the split: CP and Magic Mountain are all about thrill-seekers, while KI leans a little more family without dropping thrills altogether. If I ever have kids, I’ll want to ride the big coasters with them, but it’s the family rides that make a full day worth it. Without stuff like the Miami Valley Railroad, Planet Snoopy, Dodgem, Shake, Rattle & Roll, Zephyr, etc., I’d be less likely to bring the family. Even Cedar Point has those balance rides. I get being frustrated that we haven’t had a big thrill ride in a while, especially with Vortex gone and Invertigo probably not far behind. I miss Vortex too, and yeah, it stings not having something new in that spot. But the timing was bad. We don’t know if Vortex was supposed to run alongside Orion or if its problems just made that impossible. Then 2020 got wiped out by the pandemic, so 2021 became Orion’s real first season, and a few years later the Cedar Fair–Six Flags merger likely slowed major project plans again. That said, KI’s still been adding plenty in between coasters: 2010: Planet Snoopy overhaul 2011: Dinosaurs Alive 2012: Soak City expansion 2013: Cincinnati Reds Grille 2015: Flying Eagles return + kids’ ride 2016: Tropical Plunge 2019: Antique cars return 2022: 50th Anniversary celebration 2023: Adventure Port 2024: Snoopy’s Soapbox Racers + other kids’ rides 2025: River Racers + Soak City updates + Backlot Stunt Coaster retheme 2026: New family thrill ride From the Paramount years to now, KI has gone from being almost all-thrills to a mix that keeps both thrill-seekers and families happy.

I agree, sometimes Haunt is so packed that the roamers don’t have the same affect as they would if they were relocated to mazes. You could have dedicated scare zones that feature roamers where no-boo could be used- kinda like what CP does for Halloweenends at the back of the park. The other solution would be family friendly roamers like Phantom Theater characters, a Mystic Timbers mascot, Banshee, etc.

This. And you CAN have it both ways. All the scary, gory stuff can be tucked away inside buildings and mazes while you can make the overall park atmosphere more Halloween friendly and appeal to families. During the day when I see all of the scary stuff just sitting out like in Coney Mall, it just doesn’t seem appealing. There’s a clear difference between making things spooky and making things scary: Outside the mazes/houses = spooky. Inside the mazes/houses = scary.

A while ago, I shared my opinion that Kings Island should focus on improving the quality of their haunted houses and mazes, even if that means rethinking how they encourage families to stay later in the evening. In its pre-2025 form, Haunt was always extremely crowded, which hurt the overall experience. While Haunt is intense and not necessarily designed for families, many still came anyway. I think there’s a way to make both groups happy: keep families in the park later for other activities, while upcharging for the more intense haunted experiences. If families feel welcome to stay, other parents who were previously hesitant might bring their kids-and those families could end up spending more on food, merchandise, etc. Meanwhile, charging for the haunted attractions would help manage crowds and create an expectation of higher quality. For example, securing an IP like The Conjuring could justify the upcharge and deliver a premium experience for those who want to go for the haunts. At the end of the day, the park is going to aim for maximum revenue- and I’m honestly surprised this approach wasn’t implemented during the pre-merger Cedar Fair days who had only been accustomed to Skeleton keys, higher daily pass rates, and no-boo necklaces.

It might just be me but that last sentence could be telling

Before people get into the silliness, I do want to make a somewhat serious comment: I think the reason why so many people are upset about sponsoring rides because it’s not something that has really been done prior to the merger for CF parks, let along KI. Sure you would have the Hershey company sponsor the trick-or-treat event during Halloween or you have the Coke and Sprite umbrellas scattered throughout the park but when it came to the rides themselves, they weren’t really touched- seeing sponsored rides is pretty much new territory for Cedar Fair. All that said 3 Musketeers>Snickers

My thoughts exactly. Most non-enthusiasts purchase tickets with the assumption that a new ride will be operational. Not to insult the intelligence of the “gp.” Even if the ride indeed has more uptime than downtime, the dozens of pictures that circulate on social media of it stuck on the tilt doesn’t help.

Paramount released Jackass: The Movie in 2002…

Call me cynical but Siren’s Curse is shaping up to be a problematic addition. It was clear from the start that Cedar Point introduced this ride in an effort to ease the frustration surrounding Top Thrill 2’s rocky debut. While tilt coasters aren’t new to the coaster world, Siren’s Curse already appears to be following in the unfortunate footsteps of its predecessor. Countless videos on social media show the ride stalling on the tilt mechanism - whether stuck horizontally, vertically, or somewhere in between. That’s not a good look for any new ride, let alone one that’s supposed to help redeem the park’s reputation. For Cedar Point, it feels like salt in a wound they’re desperately trying to close. The biggest concern is that the tilt - the ride’s main draw - seems to be its biggest weakness. If it can’t operate reliably, it undermines the entire experience. Given these early issues, I wouldn’t be surprised if Siren’s Curse becomes a maintenance nightmare in the years to come…if it even exists in the park for over 10 years.

If I recall correctly, Dick Kinzel originally wanted to build a park in Michigan but ended up purchasing Michigan’s Adventure instead. Most of the park’s major investments - like Shivering Timbers and Wolverine Wildcat - were made before Cedar Fair acquired it in 2001. While Cedar Fair did make some modest improvements early on, like adding flat rides in 2002 and relocating a few attractions over the next few years, they didn’t introduce a major new coaster until 2008 - and even that was a hand-me-down from Geauga Lake. The long stretch from 2001 to 2008 without a significant, original addition is still hard to justify, even from a maintenance and growth standpoint. The other legacy parks in Cedar Fair’s portfolio received more consistent investment during that time, so you’d think that with Michigan’s Adventure being one of the few original properties, they might have wanted to build it up a bit more than they did. Geographically speaking, it’s actually closer to certain cities than Cedar Point - potentially appealing to day-trippers from northern Michigan, northern Indiana, and even parts of the Chicago area. Whether that would’ve poached attendance from Cedar Point is hard to say, but it does make the minimal investment strategy even more curious.

One could assume that they’re slow-dumping some of their smaller parks; where they’re intentionally taking things away-which will inevitably affect attendance-which will justify them closing down.

With everyone carrying a smartphone, theme park guests can capture and share ride issues instantly. A breakdown that once went mostly unnoticed can now go viral within minutes, drawing attention to something parks might prefer stayed behind the scenes. This shift raises an interesting question: will parks start choosing rides differently because of how easily things can be filmed and spread online? Take Siren’s Curse at Cedar Point. It’s had frequent issues, and nearly every one has ended up on TikTok or YouTube. The ride might be perfectly safe, but repeated videos showing breakdowns can create a negative perception. In this environment, should parks avoid rides that are complex or mechanically risky just to avoid bad PR? On one side, it’s easy to imagine parks playing it safe. They could stick to proven ride types or reliable manufacturers to avoid becoming the next viral “ride malfunction” clip. Even if a ride is innovative and exciting, the threat of a public relations headache might not be worth it. On the other hand, social media may not actually change much. Parks have always dealt with ride downtime. Most guests don’t follow coaster drama online, and many parks still invest in massive, cutting-edge rides. A viral video might sting, but it probably won’t stop die-hard fans from visiting. So what do you think? Will social media eventually affect the kinds of rides parks choose-or is this all just part of today’s fast-moving digital world?

IMO, I think the chain should look into altering their haunted houses to not require as much staffing- i.e; mazes that have motion triggered affects, lights, and sounds. You have one or two mazes like that that use 50% of the original scare actors, those employees could be relocated to another building. I say this every year and I will will continue to- they need to do a tiered system for their haunted houses to add value. Tier 1s are mild where Tier 5s are intense.

I agree, I think we need to focus on improving what we have as opposed to adding on.

I’m fine with just a generic holiday overlay, just please stop playing The 12 Days of Christmas on loop and put in more lights.

Just please do more to the train- it’s the most underwhelming part of all of winterfest when it comes to light displays.

I would agree and honestly, it’s all about what you get out of it. I were a parent living either in Louisville or Lexington, I wouldn’t want to drive two hours and risk having to endure those issues. Though these incidents have been somewhat taken care of, it still might be enough to have some families reconsider where they go. Herschend has always been about family entertainment, heck it’s in their name, so it doesn’t surprise me that they’ve made safety a top priority.

It’s interesting how often Kentucky Kingdom is overlooked when discussing regional theme park influence. When you look at a map, Louisville and Lexington are only about an hour apart, making Kentucky Kingdom the most accessible park for a huge chunk of Kentucky’s population. Compare that to Kings Island, which is closer to a two-hour drive from Lexington - not exactly ideal for a casual day trip with kids. There’s no denying Kings Island has the edge in ride variety and overall scale, but for the average family of four, Kentucky Kingdom might be the better value. Season passes are usually more affordable, parking is simpler, and you can go multiple times without it becoming a major logistical effort. For many Kentuckians, Kings Island becomes more of a “special occasion” or once-a-summer visit, while Kentucky Kingdom is the go-to for more frequent outings. It may not grab headlines the same way, but Kentucky Kingdom probably holds a larger share of the Kentucky market than people realize — especially in that Louisville-Lexington corridor.

From the looks of it, the ride doesn’t look too complicated but then again I’m not a roller coaster engineer. I do hope that these delayed openings don’t become a trend. I remember when rides like Diamondback, Banshee, and Mystic Timbers all opened on time, (Orion was a victim of the pandemic), and it showed the chain’s commitment to working with manufacturers who could guarantee that their rides would be up and running opening weekend. I understand that some delays are unavoidable- I remember when Banshee went down for about an hour or so on opening day 2014. If I am a business and I am investing millions of dollars into an asset, I want that asset to be ready to go so I can get people through the gate.. I really hope that these delayed openings are just fallout from the old Six Flags as well as the merger itself. I’m hoping that the new merged chain will set a standard for what they expect out of their vendors and drop those who underperform.

Was this transaction pre merger?

I’m fine with the “baby trains” if they are running two trains which we have seen in the past. You’re essentially operating with a three train staff crew with the locomotive crew in the cab and one conductor (2x) so you still have a train at each station picking up people. for the longest time, I thought the Kings Dominion’s railroad was removed due to low ridership given that it wasn’t a transport ride like ours, but I was later told that it was some type of railroad regulation, which I still don’t fully understand because Busch Gardens Williamsburg, which was a little over an hour away in the exact same state, was still able to operate theirs and even add a third locomotive two years after Kings Dominion got rid of both of theirs.

Kings Dominion’s Railroad used to have a level crossing for Grizzly. Actually, if you look their old railroad versus ours, Grizzly’s placement would be almost similar to how Mystic Timber’s is except the station was inside the track so riders would have to wait at the crossing before proceeding to the ride. Heck you still have to wait for the crossing at Soak City but at least you have the option to utilize the overhead skywalk if you do not wish to wait though the ramp itself, though is not ADA compliant like white water canyons old entrance was. I argue that the implementation of the gate not only kills wait times but also wastes an associate- as there always has to be someone there to supervise crossing. There have been complaints online about the park running three car operations per train. A typical six car train consists of two conductors – one on each end. The front conductor supervises the first three cars, runs the spiel, as well as communicating with the engine crew whereas the back conductor supervises the last three cars and communicates with the front conductor via hand waves and radio during certain points of the ride along straight track along the bridge and near the engine shed. The reason why one conductor cannot supervise a whole six car train is because the various curves along the track obscure a conductor’s view of the whole train. This is why when staffing is short you can only run a three car train. If you break down the staffing for a full train you need an engineer and a fireman, and two conductors on either end of the train: 4 total. If you’re running two full trains then that number doubles to 8- that’s not to mention the brakes at the engineers have to take so probably more, but I’m not sure the engineers schedules. Back to the matter at hand – when they removed the overpass to Whitewater Canyon to make room for Mystic Timbers, and did not choose to rebuild it- instead opting a level crossing and thus sacrificing an associate. If they had just rebuilt the ramp else where, then they could’ve kept six car operations on a more consistent basis. I guess another way around this is if you have somewhat of an HUD display at the back or front of the train that has cameras for the conductor to be able to view the whole train but that just seems too cumbersome and inefficient should a camera prove to be faulty during a trip. If any of you go to other amusement parks and noticed that their railroads feature one conductor and they have a tray longer than three cars it’s typically because their track layout is straighter and doesn’t have as tight of curves or obstructions like Kings Island does. If you take Disney, for example there are not a whole lot of obstructions that would prevent the back conductor from viewing the whole train, the same for Cedar Point, Busch Gardens, etc. I understand that there are budget cuts, employee shortages, and so on, but I argue that transport rides of any kind need to be operating on a consistent basis, even if that does mean one train with a full set of six cars. It does become a real inconvenience for parents who use the train as a transport ride to go to and from the waterpark when they’re running at bare minimum.

I’m honestly surprised KK, or even HW, hasn’t gotten a 4D freespin yet to make either standout further. It would be a hit with either park and not as expensive since it’s cloned.

What happens when a regional giant starts to slow down? For years, Kings Island has been a dominant amusement park in the Midwest, drawing millions from Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Columbus, Louisville, and beyond. But since the debut of Orion and the pandemic in 2020, the park’s strategy has noticeably shifted. Instead of major thrill investments, we’ve seen smaller additions like Adventure Port, Snoopy’s Soap Box Racers, and RiverRacers. At the same time, prime areas like The Vortex plot and Crypt building remain unused. Could the park’s focus on family offerings—and the merger signal a pause in high-thrill investment? And if so, what does that mean for the rest of the region? Could Holiday World and Kentucky Kingdom step in to fill that gap? Both parks are strategically located and serve overlapping markets with Kings Island—especially in Southern Indiana and Kentucky. If either park were to invest more aggressively in their lineups, would it be enough to shift public attention? Could increased competition begin pulling guests from markets that have historically defaulted to Kings Island? If Kings Island continues to slow-roll major thrill ride development, guests may start to ask themselves: why wait for something big when another park is already stepping up? So the real question becomes: who will seize this moment? Kings Island isn’t going away, but if it goes eight years without a major thrill ride, its grip on the region could loosen. Will Holiday World or Kentucky Kingdom use this time to reposition themselves as more than just local alternatives? Could one bold investment change the way thrill-seekers see the region? In a market driven by momentum and excitement, now might be the perfect time for smaller parks to step into the spotlight. Is this the time to strike? Absolutely. The only question left is: who will do it first?