SonofBaconator

I'd just say spooky and have the rides themed as such. I'll make some type of concept art or something

I think Action Zone needs to be kept "spooky" A chunk of KI's identity comes from paranormal activity and folklore- @KIghostguy can attest to that. I think if you complete Action Zone and give it that type of spooky vibe it would reflect well. Some ideas would be install more gothic lamp posts with flame LED bulbs. Make the area seem more eerie, especially towards night time. The area doesn't have to be themed to Europe as Banshees can also be linked to Cincinnati since a lot of us natives have Irish roots. Maybe make some of the buildings more primitive and reminiscent of 19th century architecture. I'm thinking as a whole, give the area a "haunted town" feel. (If you've ever walked through downtown Lebanon at night you know what I mean)

I think a compact wing coaster would be cool in the Area 72 section. X-Flight is one of the most underrated wing coasters out there in my opinion. Near miss elements are awesome on wing coasters, especially when the space is already compact. I'm not as much of a fan of compact coasters but X-Flight is one of the exceptions. Heck it would be cool to have it pay homage to Firehawk if one was ever done since I don't see a flyer returning.

That's what's on a lot of people's minds. On one hand it matches the 150+ shuttle that CGA mentioned in their report for their additions. On the other hand, this will have been the 3rd home for Possessed if it gets moved to CGA. I don't know how many times a ride can be relocated without it causing some type of wear but I'm sure its fine. The only other thing I never understood is why CGA wants an impulse that's not Wicked Twister when their direct competitor has one thats pretty unique. At least with Wicked Twister they could claim the tallest and fasted inverted coaster

@TombraiderTy I think he's referring to Firehawk being the 1st relocated GL ride to be removed after its relocation.

If anyone is wondering why I'm such a proponent of the floorless model vs others, I'm happy to explain. When I was a little Vortex used to be the tallest coaster in the park. The tall lift hill, tall to me anyway, and the multiple inversions were intimidating to a little giy like me. Fast forward a decade where I get my 1st ride on it. I enjoyed the long chainlift to the top of the hill, the intense inversions, and greasy smell of the chain and the clanky anti-rollbacks. The ride represents the pure nostalgia of what an Arrow looper was. Fast forward again to 2019 when it was announced that Vortex would be removed after 33 years of service hitting the park in a huge way. Not only were we losing some inversions, we were losing a KI classic that broke records when it was built, featured on tv several times, and was praised by many. I want a floorless, or even a sitdown, by B&M because I think it would be fitting replacement for such an iconic ride. There are some who think memories should be memories and sequel/tribute rides are unoriginal but I believe Vortex should be the exception. Not only do I want those inversions back but I also want to try and relive the feeling of riding Vortex in a more modern way. I'd like to end up taking my kids to the park one day when I'm a father and take them on Vortex like my dad did with me. Maybe I'm being nostalgic but I don't think a launched coaster or a dive would do Vortex justice.

I know Cedar Fair has worked with Gravity Group in the past retracking parts of the late Rebel Yell but this'll be the 1st ground up coaster the company's received from them. Maybe the top tier parks will get GCIs and the mid to lower tiers will get Gravity Group coasters.

Just got a few rides in on Vortex Virtual reality is often disappointing. Now virtual reality can be whatever I want.

Going off of what @bengalsguy23 said on the Dorney shuttle coaster thread- Ouimet wanted to focus on the money makers where as Zimmer is trying to capitalize on all properties. I think this is a good transition considering they invested a lot of the company's capital in the parks they knew would give them a good ROI. Now they can focus on their mid to lower tier parks with smaller investments that are unique enough to increase attendance. I also think this is decade will be the one where they really build up California's Great America like they've been planning. This new concept of "everyone gets something every year" seems like a take on the Six Flags model. The difference is that Cedar Fair has the money to put in quality attractions with enough originality to where they're not repetitive of one another. If KI gets a new coaster every 5 years vs 3, you can almost guarantee that we'll get more flats in those between years as well as more quality family attractions and experiences. Plus a new coaster every 5 years might mean that the quality will be better; not that Cedar Fair has ever given us anything less than excellent.

It seems like Cedar Fair's plan for mid to lower tier parks is to install upgraded versions of successful models from other parks. KD is set to get an original S&S Freespin and now it looks like Dorney is getting an upgraded version of Switchback. Not a bad plan if you think about it. Heck we might see parks like Valley Fair! and World of Fun get original raptor installations.

That honestly doesn't suprise me at this point. Cedar Fair is trying to knock out rides with high maintenance costs and low uptime. Considering the fact that Volcano was removed, it was only a matter of time for their impulses to follow suit.

@Snowball I do prefer the theatricality of music scores over other stuff. Speaking of theatricality, that's something I think our haunt could use more of. More creepy/halloween appropriate music throughout the park. I'd also like to see more rides get "altered" for haunt. The Beast used to have a creature that was covered during the day and revealed at night- I don't recall them doing that anymore. Knott's alters there rides and I think its awesome. There are a handful of our attractions that I think could get "hauntified": Flight of Fear, Backlot Stunt Coaster, Adventure Express, Mystic Timbers, Boo Blasters- rides that have a dark section. I don't think it would be too hard to do and would bridge the gap between haunts and thrills

We'll have to fill the looping coaster hole 1st before we can hope for a true multi-launch. We have to gain those inversions back somehow. I always considered a true multi-launch to focus on intense accelerations and maintaining speed like Maverick, Cheetah Hunt, Maxx Force, etc. Talking about filling holes, I also think we lack a "gimmick" coaster: something unique that the GP will love. When I say gimmick I mean it in a good way. For example, I used to consider Firehawk our gimmick coaster. Coasters that I consider gimmicky would ones like dives, flyers, spinners, wings, floorlesses and other models along those lines

Adding more trees and shade would do the water park some good. I think trying to attract water park fans would also be a technique they could try. Try and see if you can target people who prefer water parks over amusement parks and sell to them. "Enjoy world class pools, slides, and other wet attractions. While you're here take the train over to the main park and cool down on water rides like Race for your life Charlie Brown, White Water Canyon, and Congo Falls" I still think moving Congo Falls over to Rivertown could really sell this idea- get soaked at the waterpark then ride the train to Rivertown/Planet Snoopy where you could get soaked on the water attractions. I think the main reason why Congo Falls isn't that popular anymore is its placement. No one wants to get wet when there's no other water rides nearby. I'd be more likely to ride it if it got moved to Rivertown where I could also hit up WWC and RFYLCB afterwards then maybe hit up the waterpark after.

I don't think Cedar Fair is in a position where they'd want to install an El Toro type ride at their parks. To be honest I think they're content with GCI as their go-to wooden manufacturer. I've heard Intamin woodies are costly to maintain; you can also throw Gravity Group in there as well The only wooden coaster I'd want, and yes I consider it a wooden coaster, is something modern like Wildfire in Sweden. There's still Son of Beast track left standing and that area beyond Banshee has some nice terrain...

I wonder what's the next park that's going to get a B&M giga. I don't know of any company outside CF who can finance one. Six Flags couldn't afford one unless they left all the other parks in the dust for the season. Sea World might be able to but I don't see any of their parks needing something like that. I'd say we might see one overseas in a few years but that depends on if any of those parks would want to spend a minimum of $30 million

Any speculation on the colors? Maybe a throwback to its original color scheme? Since the locomotive is under Cedar Fair ownership it makes me wonder if it'll stay at WoF after Eli's return or move to another park.

Exactly. If I recall Fury 325 was $30 million so I couldn't see KI wanting to spend anything over that, especially when they just got a pretty expensive giga. Cedar Fair wants to invest heavily into Carowinds so it makes sense that they would be willing to invest in their first launch coaster. Kings Island, however, already has two launch coasters so I don't see the need to empty out their wallets for a third. I'm sure there are other manufactures out there that could deliver on inversions without breaking the bank.

I'm just curious as to the need for a Mack. We need a coaster that can pack in 6+ inversions. Macks can certainly accomplish that but I don't know how much they would charge if they have to ship their track overseas.

If we're talking flags I'd opt for the traditional Bavarian diamonds which typically feature the colors of light blue and white which have become synonymous with Oktoberfest.

I think a stand-up coaster would only work if it was around 2,000ft or less in length and around 100ft or less. I'd be very curious to see a modernized B&M stand-up since one hasn't been built in over 20 years.

If 2020 was a coaster

Those things can be moved though. I wouldn't expect them to have it out when the park isn't open yet

Since the glockenspiel is back and Viking Fury 325 is getting repainted I can only hope that they keep making these smaller improvements to Oktoberfest. They can do more to that area and I think they will. The park's 50th is coming up so I wouldn't be shocked if we didn't see it improved for the 2022 season.

I always considered water parks an added bonus. When you go to Disney World you go for the dry main parks while the water parks are basically just something else to do while you're staying. The same can be said for Cedar Point- you can buy a ride and slide ticket package and hit the dry park one day and the water park the next. Since since Kings Island doesn't charge separate admission for their water park, they don't really need to add a whole lot to get people to come in. Once you buy a ticket you can go where ever you want. I'd aruge if there was a seperate admission price I'm sure they'd invest more into the water park and I doubt that'll ever happen.