SonofBaconator

I’ve been thinking a lot about Kings Island’s recent trajectory, and honestly, it feels like the park is starting to slip from its top-tier status. It’s not falling apart, but there’s a clear shift toward quantity over quality in recent additions. Mystic Timbers was probably the last enthusiast-level addition with strong theming and a layout that made sense. Orion was marketed as a major milestone, but it ended up feeling more like a tall hyper than a true giga, especially when compared to Fury 325. It was good - but not the game-changer many expected. Since then, additions have been modest. Adventure Port (2023) was more of a themed refresh than a major land. Snoopy’s Soap Box Racers (2024) wasn’t a bad ride, but didn’t add much beyond extending an already strong Planet Snoopy area. RiverRacers (2025), the new water ride, is more family-focused and doesn’t move the needle much - especially considering Coney Island’s waterpark closed. You’d think Kings Island would seize that opportunity to expand Soak City in a more impactful way. What really stands out is how little progress has been made during the off years. Yes, the pandemic set the industry back, but unlike the 2010s - when we saw clear pacing and direction - the current era feels aimless. Between Diamondback (2009) and Banshee (2014), we still saw steady investments: Planet Snoopy (2010) WindSeeker and Dinosaurs Alive (2011) Soak City rebrand (2012) 2013 was clearly a setup year for Banshee Post-Orion, the momentum just isn’t there: 2022 offered some nostalgia, but little forward movement Adventure Port felt last-minute Soap Box Racers felt more like a Peanuts brand tie-in than a park evolution RiverRacers is fine, but not bold Meanwhile, key areas sit untouched - Vortex’s land is still dormant, and the old Crypt building remains underused and unsightly. These are major, visible parts of the park that could anchor serious attractions. And that’s why the next major addition will be incredibly telling. I know a “family thrill attraction” is slated for 2026, but that could mean anything. If it’s something substantial - like a new log flume or dark ride in Rivertown - that at least signals awareness and intent. But if we don’t see a major coaster or thrill ride before 2030, it’ll be hard to believe Kings Island is still viewed as a flagship park. I don’t usually like to gauge corporate commitment solely by coaster installs, but look at what Cedar Fair did at Carowinds in 2015 with Fury 325. That wasn’t just a ride - it was a statement. Kings Island hasn’t had a moment like that in nearly a decade. Serving six major metro areas - Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus, Indianapolis, Louisville, and Lexington - Kings Island can’t afford to drift into mediocrity. Competitors like Holiday World and Kentucky Kingdom are already more aggressive. A major investment at either could start pulling attendance from Indiana and Kentucky. And now, with the Cedar Fair - Six Flags merger, investment may shift to smaller parks needing improvement. That might help the chain overall - but it risks leaving Kings Island stagnant just when it needs to make a move. Bottom line: if 2028 isn’t a bold, defining year, it’s hard to see Kings Island maintaining its place among the elite. A new coaster, major Rivertown expansion, or unique anchor attraction is needed to reassert its status. Otherwise, the park risks being just another “mid-tier” in a very competitive region.

…give it different coat of paint under the track. This was just a concept that @DustinTheNow made a while back that illustrates what I mean: I really like how Fury had the lime green and Valravn had that silver- it felt like a true next step in how coasters were supposed to be painted, but we unfortunately didn’t get that with Orion. Maybe when it’s due for a repaint in 10+ years

During the 2010s, Cedar Fair had a noticeable rhythm when it came to new attractions. Every few years, one of the big four parks - Cedar Point, Carowinds, Kings Island, or Canada’s Wonderland - would get a major new ride. And often, those rides followed a pattern. A concept would debut at one park, then reappear in some form at another a few years later. Leviathan opened at Canada’s Wonderland in 2012. Three years later, Carowinds got Fury 325. Then came Orion at Kings Island in 2020 - each a variation on the giga coaster model. Mystic Timbers in 2017 brought back the modern wooden coaster, while Copperhead Strike in 2019 introduced a compact, multi-launch design that seemed to set a new trend. Even mid-tier parks, like Dorney Park or Worlds of Fun, would occasionally get solid additions. It wasn’t always headline-making, but it felt like part of a bigger plan. That strategy didn’t just add rides - it added value. It kept fans engaged and excited. The pattern sparked speculation: “What if we got a Mack multi-launch like Carowinds?” “Could we get a dive coaster like the ones at Cedar Point or Canada’s Wonderland?” “Maybe Carowinds will get a GCI like Mystic Timbers?” The formula gave people something to dream about. Since the Cedar Fair and Six Flags merger, that sense of structure seems to have faded. Some parks are getting new rides, others are quiet, and there’s less clarity around what the long-term vision is. It’s understandable - especially after the pandemic, which hit the industry hard. But in some ways, going back to that earlier approach might not be the worst idea. The old formula wasn’t flashy, but it worked. It gave each park a role to play and made the entire chain feel connected. In a post-pandemic, post-merger landscape, maybe there’s still something to be said for doing things the Cedar Fair way.

Which I totally respect the park for doing considering they didn’t have to do it at all. They were smart to keep “stunt coaster“ in the name to establish that it’s still a stunt coaster, but it’s themed to Cincinnati instead of Los Angeles. That being said, I do think they could spruce up the show scene before you enter the tunnel a little bit. I’m assuming the rebrand was also an excuse to turn off the helicopter as well as the fire affects. If they removed the helicopter from the ride in the off-season, I don’t think as many people would be upset about it. Heck, they could rehome it in area 72 somewhere if they really wanted to.

It’s also possible to remove the logos for the sports teams and just go heavy on the colors. I don’t think a tiger stripped car is infringing on anything.

This was a really creative idea. I wonder if this was a project that they wanted to do for a while or if this was something that came to mind last minute.

Makes you wonder if they’ll do something with the current Skyline shelter

I think it’s because they’re so easy to market and the average non enthusiast park-goer isn’t going to care if there is another version somewhere else. You could apply that logic to boomerangs, freespins, and so on.

I think they’ll do B&M for parks that need that larger investment and higher capacity, Vekoma for parks that need something different, and potentially S&S clones for the majority of former CF parks that would be used as filler.

I have a polarizing theory: 4D freespin Cloneable, easy to market, thrilling, and would be the only one within a 5 hour radius with the closest one being at SFGAM.

I’m referring to 4d freespins, larson loops, etc

I see parks in this merged chain as territories- if one wants to see which parks are gone, they should look at what territories they can afford to lose to a competitor like Sea World, Herschend, Merlin, etc. You also have to look at saturation- for example the east coast is saturated with Six Flags parks now so it might not be a complete loss to sell off one in a market they’re already dominating. After reading the article, here are my picks off the top of my head: SFA- neighboring KD, GA, and DP this park sits in a saturated region and doesn’t have a lot of modern attractions to keep people coming in like the neighboring parks do. Valleyfair!- it’s not in a really competitive market for Six Flags to really want to hold onto. Plus considering that it’s no longer Cedar Fair, I don’t feel like there’s much of a need to keep a former namesake park. La Ronde- On one hand it would be losing a Canadian park but on the other hand I feel like priorities would be shifted to Canada’s Wonderland. Plus from what I heard, the park isn’t of much quality to keep investing in if money could be allocated into more profitable properties. I’m sure there are others on there but those 3 came to mind first

If the ride were to come back, I’d like to see some things altered to give a sense of progression where the phantoms appear more physically towards the middle and end of the ride… For example I felt like they could’ve gotten away with simple changing portraits like at Haunted Mansion where a light would flash fast and riders would see the altered form as opposed to placing physical phantoms behind the scrims. That’s just a nitpick but it might’ve saved them some money if they did 2d imagery as opposed to putting a figure behind each painting- it also builds anticipation for when you actually see the phantoms later on in the ride.

Demolish the box in Rivertown and put this in its place on the open land between The Beast and Diamondback

I was scrolling through Pinterest and saw this pin pop up for a Haunted Mansion/Early Boo Blasters esque ride themed to the Ghosbusters franchise. Below are a few bits of concept art and the link. https://www.slashfilm.com/533329/ghostbusters-ride/

Another one to add: Phantom Theater Pre-merger I was legit excited about the idea of the ride coming back but now that we’re in a merged chain, and with priorities being refocused, I don’t have confidence that it would be done justice.

I know when the attraction first debuted in ‘92, it was noted in old videos that the ride was completely custom to KI with its concept, characters, and overall theming. A year later Paramount took over the chain and started implementing their IP, allowing Phantom Theater to stick around until the early 2000s. With that in mind, was Phantom Theater ever intended to be cloned at parks like Kings Dominion, Carowinds, and so on under the pre-Paramount chain? The original IP seemed too good not to milk and even to this day still feels underutilized.

What’s something, and it doesn’t have to be a ride, that you would’ve been excited for years ago but not now? For me it’s anything from Mack. Not that Mack isn’t a good company, and I would be grateful for the park to get anything from them at this point, I don’t think I would be as excited now as I would’ve been years ago. Maybe it’s because in the mid 2010s there was more hype around rides like Helix, Blue Fire, and such. With the late Cedar Fair not purchasing anything from Mack between Copperhead Strike and the merger, the personal hype died off somewhat.

I thought I saw a tweet (or whatever you call it on X now) that TT was ending. I guess it must’ve been a typo because I don’t see anything anymore.

If I were KI/Six Flags, I’d see if they could possibly be diverted if possible. They were able to cut into Columbia Road for the Soak City expansion back in 2012 so it’s not too far fetched of an idea.

Cedar Point has had a long history of building record-breaking roller coasters to generate hype and draw attention. However, these records are often short-lived, serving more as marketing tools than lasting achievements. Rides like GateKeeper and Valravn were promoted for their impressive stats, but once newer attractions came along, the focus quickly shifted, and those records lost their significance. Take GateKeeper, for example. When it debuted, it was celebrated for its records, but by the time Valravn opened, much of the attention had moved on. Valravn broke several Dive Coaster records—tallest, fastest, and longest—but just a few years later, Yukon Striker at Canada’s Wonderland surpassed many of those stats, highlighting the temporary nature of such accolades. This trend isn’t new. Magnum XL-200, which broke the 200-foot barrier in 1989, was groundbreaking at the time, holding the title of the tallest and fastest coaster in the world. However, as other parks introduced their own hyper coasters, Magnum’s record-breaking status faded. This is simply the nature of the amusement park industry—what’s new and exciting rarely stays that way for long. Cedar Fair has strategically spread its record-breaking coasters across multiple parks instead of keeping them all at Cedar Point. Coasters like Fury 325 at Carowinds, Banshee at Kings Island, and Yukon Striker at Canada’s Wonderland gave each park something unique to promote. It wasn’t just about Cedar Point holding all the records—it was about ensuring each park had a standout attraction. However, when records fade, the experience the ride provides becomes what truly matters. A coaster might not hold records anymore, but if it still delivers great thrills, unique elements, or a smooth, fun ride, people will keep coming back. Magnum, for example, may no longer be the tallest or fastest, but it’s still loved for its airtime and nostalgic charm. GateKeeper may not be breaking records, but its graceful inversions and lakeside views continue to draw fans. Ultimately, records are just a tool to spark interest when a ride is new. In the long run, it’s the ride itself—how it feels and the memories it creates—that determines its lasting popularity. Other parks will get fed, it’s just a matter of restructuring.

So I saw this on Facebook

I shared this a while ago but you could get a decent amount of land to work with if your remove Invertigo and Congo Falls.

IIRC, Oktoberfest was a last minute addition to the park’s lineup of lands, which if that’s true is ironic.