DJSkyFoxx

The overall continual sense of "empty space" both literally and figuratively was felt quite heavy on me this past Sunday as I had talked about in the 2026 general discussion thread. And while I am trying to remain optimistic, its difficult when there is this contant sense of things being downgraded or taken away all together. I'm still in the camp of raising pass prices and keeping them at a level that makes them realistic yet not dirt cheap so long as that helps allow for better things to come down the pipeline, as well as help make the park feel less "comfortably crowded". The lack of things to see/do have really been felt since as you stated above @BeeastFarmer. This place used to constantly have events, shows and things to see and do regularly. And sadly I lived further away at the time and didn't go nearly as often where I missed out on a lot of those unique events. To stay on topic though, I wish they would really make an effort to make their most expensive passholders feel valued. Have exclusive Prestige passholder events after hours or something. Or some early morning thing. Not saying Gold pass holders shouldn't have opportunities too, but you know, if you're paying extra for EXTRA benefits, make it worth the while. The current offerings are abysmal and seem to keep getting worse each season. I'm not even a Prestige passholder but I would gladly buy one if I felt that the benefits were worth the extra cost and actually meant something instead of only having a few very small extras thrown in tat barely move the meter. The moral of the story here is it sucks to see the decline all the way around instead of seeing improvements and ACTUAL real exclusives that make the extra money spent feel like it adds something special to each visit.

In a perfect world, IF KI got a new coaster, how cool would it be for a Vortex rebirth seeing as that would have marked the 40th Anniversary for it next year. And it would be especially awesome if it were the Vekoma Ghost Rider model that was proposed in the surveys that were sent out throughout the chain. Really realistically not gonna happen, but that would be a rad way to enter both the park's 55th season as well as a nod to what would have been the 40th for Vortex.

I might catch flack for this, but here goes. After attending the park yesterday, I have to say for the first time in a long time, I left with a sad/somber feeling. I didn't leave with the normal fullness I usually feel. Now mind you, it had nothing to do with not riding anything yesterday. In fact, I knew going in without ASFL this season and with it being opening weekend, that wouldn't be happening for me. I went solely to take in the new stuff and have dinner with my lady. But after doing a few loops around the park and entering some of the gift shops to browse, we both noticed something. The park feels gutted. The sense of whimsy felt missing and honestly the park just hardcore gave off the stench of "corporate". To me its like tearing down a playground and putting an office space there. Or seeing how the restaurants from my youth went from bright and vibrant to blocky and grey. This is the feeling we both had upon exiting the park yesterday. All the goofy little claw machines/barrels that were outside of, for example, Diamondback's giftshop, are gone. The giftshops themselves feel stale. Looking around each one we noticed that a lot of them were selling overpriced stuff you'd find in the middle-way of a shopping mall ( soaps, notebooks, etc ) instead of plushies, shirts, hats, park exclusive stuff. And it felt like a lot of the decor inside the giftshops and around the park in general were barren. I know this was the first operating weekend for the park and there are still a lot of loose ends to be tied up, so I am trying to be optimistic and hopefully the things that added atmosphere to the park will return, but after what we saw yesterday, I fear this may a sign of what's to come. All of those silly little nuances that gave the park life and atmosphere and that sense of whimsy appear to be gone for now and maybe forever. Again, I realize this might all sound silly to some of you, but seeing so much empty gutted space just made the place feel stale and like I already said, "corporate". Also the continued use of AI everywhere is gross. I am on the side of AI being unethical, but seeing so much of it just gives off a cheapened feel. All I can say is that I am going to try to remain optimistic for the future of the park as the season moves on and hopefully gets things together, but if this is what is in store for the future, I can't honestly say I will be enticed to be a passholder for much longer. We shall see.

IF they were ever to bring back any water features, you already know they would have to fence it off as much as possible. People are disgusting and disrespectful. That water would get so gross so fast. If teenagers think its funny to spit on people on rides, I can only imagine a bunch of idiots trying to hocker into the water or throw trash in there. This is why we can't have nice things.

Me too. It's definitely different to see. I'll report back some time after the experience!

https://www.tickettailor.com/events/masonsymphonyorchestra/2000992 Saw this come across their story feed on IG. Thought this seemed pretty unique. Bought two tickets for my lady and I as we were both pretty sick this past weekend and didn't get to do anything for Valentine's Day. So this will make up for it. Pretty cool!

Right. And that has been my personal vote of choice since Vortex's removal would be a Vekoma new-gen looper of some variety

I often wonder what a retracked Vortex would be like. Fresh track, fresh paint and in a dream world, new trains ( preferably the new Vekoma trains used on their current sit-down loopers ). And just think-with the awesome light packages those new Vekoma trains have that could have really made a statement for Vortex while it went up the lift hill and slithered through it's twisted steel structure. That alone would have really brought on some excitement for riders and bystanders alike, especially at night! I really believe that would have revived the classic coaster for long-time fans who quit riding or rode maybe once a year and it would have made new fans for up and coming thrill-seekers. Vortex was really such a good solid middle ground coaster. Thrilling enough for the adrenaline junkies but with a height requirement that met new thrill seekers at a more modest standard so more people could get in on the action.

Funny how that sort of behavior leads to being kicked out and followed up with a trespassing violation in retail big box stores, but then this sort of behavior seems to get a pass while at an amusement park I really can't understand why grown adult humans resort to this sort of tantrum/bully behavior thinking it makes them appear better or know better than the literal employee running the ride...like chill out. It really ain't that deep. Not to mention, just upon visual inspection of the ride cars you can tell there is absolutely no way 6-7 people could fit in there both comfortably and safely but hey.

I hope to see more of these kinds of posts going forward. I agree that it is refreshing to see because it gives the feeling of the park being "human" instead of corporate. Not trying to get cozy with the idea of course, but if we see more of these kinds of posts it'll be such a breath of fresh air. Hoping they will also make a post for Invertigo too.

Every year it feels like they are restructuring the pass system and causing more confusion for pass holders of all kinds. I initially thought that as someone who purchased their pass during the MVP sale that my pass was going to be upgrade to Prestige, but then I re-read the article and confirmed that here. Although I wonder how many system glitches there could potentially be where those who bought their pass during the MVP sale get upgraded anyhow? And for those who bought Prestige passes already, I feel bad because there is nothing being upgraded or amended for them. I truly miss how simple it used to be to buy a pass and there weren't so many nuances along the way. Just when I feel like I have an understanding of how it works, they change it up again. And now I wonder how they will go about selling the pass add-ons. As in, will there be one set of add-ons for Silver passes? One set of add-ons for Gold passes ( regional only add-ons or APP level add-ons ) and then Prestige level add-ons? It's just. A lot. I realize they want so badly to seem like they are simplifying stuff, but instead they seem to be creating more confusion, questions and frustrations.

I always thought with Indy being the "racing capital of the world" they could really phone that in and build an amazing IndyCar themed park. I feel that could be really successful, especially during race season.

If they did that I would absolutely make sure to make it the most awkward situation ever. Straight eye contact, chewing slowly but aggressively, a few growls maybe. Assert dominance.

And to be fair, the GP usually doesn't even know the make/model of the rides they ride nor do they often care. They just want to have fun. Those of us with this hobby/special interest care about specs, make/model, etc because it is just that. A hobby/special interest.

I realize there are other Vortex's out there from the former Taft/Paramount properties, but our Vortex was iconic in its own right to where I think the fan base out here would appreciate a 2.0 of the beloved coaster. Sure, if a new and better name were chosen I wouldn't be hurt over it. I just think that if they were to reuse the name it wouldn't be frowned upon especially if the ride lived up to/exceeded it's former.

They used to...

Or just keep it simple and open a new looper and just reuse The Vortex name. Its a household name and it leans into the park's affinity for nostalgia. The park has now had two Bat coasters, while the current one was not originally named that upon its opening, it still bears the name of a historic landmark coaster. And we are literally getting an updated Phantom Theater which bears the same name + some extra verbiage. I think older fans would appreciate the nod and the new generation would have their own Vortex to grow up with.

The chain/park does have an opportunity to do something amazing though. While I realize we've gotten smaller additions the last few years, if 2027 were our year for a major installation, that would mark the 40th anniversary for Vortex if it were still standing. That would make for an incredibly awesome way to honor a classic while also giving us the much anticipated big coaster. One can dream.

And here we are 6 years later and this horse has been more than beaten to death...

I only attended WF twice this season, however, both times I really enjoyed it. I felt like it was more flushed out throughout the park this year. Of course, there is always room for improvement and growth as is with any event, but my overall takeaway is that the park did a wonderful job this year and I am grateful that we have this event in a time when other parks have lost their WF or never had one to begin with. I hope that we can continue to enjoy WF in the years to come and see more improvements and experiences added along the way. Also I want to add that the two holiday meals that my partner and I had were really good and we enjoyed the offerings.

I will say, regardless, it truly is amazing how many of our coasters have stood the test of time when others have been long gone. I may not be a big fan of FoF in how it currently rides, but if they were to do any serious upgrades or refurbishments to it I would be happy and pleased to see them invest in what is sort of a cornerstone ride within the park. And regardless of how negatively most folks feel about Invertigo, I know I am one of a few who still love the ride-especially since I know the best seats for me personally are the outermost seats that don't face anyone. I'm glad it's still here and that they are investing in keeping it around for however much longer. Thankful they have put money into keeping Monster around. Not sure what other things they are going to repair/upgrade but of course The Beast is getting more love. We really are lucky that despite all the cuts, our park still gets a lot of love and TLC when others have made cuts. It's a sad state of affairs to have to use this sort of language as I wish all parks invested and cared for their rides as well as KI does, but alas. I might also mention I really hope the next ride to get some serious love is Banshee. She really needs a fresh coat of paint.

I wouldn't be mad if they did an overhaul. From a nostalgic perspective, I am fond of it in aesthetics and past memories only. But today in 2025 going into 2026, I tend to skip it all together unless I'm with someone who really is set on riding it or there is absolutely no line and I'm bored. In its current state I find it to be rough and boring. If they updated from LIM to LSM that would be a pretty significant upgrade ( and I imagine would be more efficient overall ) and seriously new trains would be a blessing. It's not the actual seats themselves that bother me so much as the rigid unforgiving axels the trains have. This thing tracks like absolute trash compared to newer coasters that have trains with far more articulation that give for a smoother and more natural feeling ride. But the newer style seating/restraints wouldn't be a bad thing either for this coaster along with articulation within the train itself. Some extra boost, comfortable trains and some refurb on the track would liven this thing up a lot and would absolutely make this coaster a must ride for me instead of the "eh, I'll pass" ride it is for me today.

Sometimes when I look at a photo of Monster like the one above, I appreciate how complex the ride is, especially considering the time from which it came. I realize its complexity is also kind of its downfall in some areas, but really its such a fascinating hunk of machinery for how old it is. I will be glad to hear all the little motors whirring in sync again next season!

Not to mention how incredibly selfish it is to expect staff to drive and work in the horrible conditions that occurred over the weekend! People tend to forget that entertainment is a privilege and not a necessity. Its one thing being a first responder/hospital staff or any other kind of care giver/response team, but entertainment is not necessary when the weather is crap. People are so self centered. I'm glad the park was closed all weekend because firstly and foremostly, staff didn't need to worry about commuting and showing up during a LEVEL 2 snow emergency, let alone guests. And people in this city already suck at driving when the pavement is 100% dry let alone when there is snow or ice on the ground. Please just stay home and make your own fun . Watch some POVs and make some holiday cookies/food and make your own entertainment. Stay the heck off the roads and be mindful of your privilege! Rant over.

Love to see this. Also would love to see the lights return to the "head" of the Monster. Otherwise I've always said it looks like a giant trash can without them