cdubbs727

Ugh, This is gross. Six Flags is the McDonald's/WalMart of theme parks, a brand known for being cheap and shoddy. I know it's a "merger of equals" (barely), but I really think it just ends up hurting the existing Cedar Fair parks. I don't want everything to get a consistent look and feel -- I want our local parks to retain their unique style and charm. I don't want constant off-the-shelf roller coasters; I want years where the parks continue to invest in the look and feel of the park and celebrate their history. I want a visit to Kings Island to feel special, not like I'm just going to any other run-of-the-mill park. And while we can hope there's good input from CF on this, I worry that this many parks just spreads them too thin and the parks don't get the love and care they deserve. Best-case scenario is another chain -- but a good one -- buys Kings Island. But who? I haven't been to the Hershey park; is it good? Universal is dipping its toes in smaller regional things in Texas and Vegas, but this seems a bit too much for them. I just have a bad feeling.

I don't know what really to believe (and, honestly, not sure I care; the personnel issues within a regional amusement park don't necessarily impact my enjoyment of said park). I find it hard to believe that upper management -- the people who would have made the decision about Don Helbig -- would be petty enough to go search out a tombstone in the park and deface it. They likely pay little attention to that stuff; the decor doesn't get them dollars. Why would they care? And if his ousting from KI was a business decision, why would we jump to them thinking it was a petty personal thing? Many times, these decisions come down to money. It's not personal. But moreover, for the people who are intent on finding something to complain about with current management, there was no way of handling this that would have avoided any griping. Not put the tombstone out at all? They're erasing Don! Put it out with his name on there? They're mocking him by having a tombstone of the guy they fired! Just let it wear off or take it completely off? They're disrespecting Don's memory! I don't know Don Helbig. He seemed to be a great guy and he's a very fun and engaging social media presence. I hope he's doing well. But some of you are taking this worse than he seems to be.

I think a big key to whatever they do with Invertigo and Congo Falls is whatever their long-term plan is for Action Zone. The area needs a retheme desperately; it's a holdover from the Paramount days that just feels like a hodgepodge. But I also think a huge key to THAT is whatever ends up happening with Timberwolf. It looked last year like there was still life left there; this year, it's kind of back to a ghost down except for random Christian music festivals and sporadic concerts. If they keep Timberwolf, I think they need to find some way to turn it into a destination, one that possibly offers more for people who aren't at the park. In that case, tear out Invertigo and Congo Falls, change it so that those are outside-of-the-park areas and make it a nice Timberwolf entry plaza, perhaps with a nice sit-down restaurant and bar. If Timberwolf stays, I think Action Zone should get a refresh, and part of that means pulling out Congo Falls and Invertigo which, IMO, just look ramshackle and off the shelf. I don't really care if they put another coaster there -- I'm 44 and starting to hit the age where I appreciate more than a good coaster --- but I wouldn't be opposed. But overall, just something to make that area of the park more of a destination -- right now there's Delirium and Banshee, and I could get behind a retheme that makes it a bit of a spookier-themed area of the park (maybe close Boo Blasters and do a new dark ride on the CF/Invertigo plot).

I think it was a miscalculation, and I think an over-correction. My Monday-morning quarterback theory is that they were afraid the stats on MT weren't impressive enough to get the enthusiasts excited (I remember an overall impression that some were disappointed the new ride was a family coaster), and so they tried to goose interest by hyping the shed. The problem? It got everyone thinking the shed was some sort of ride element, particularly as drop tracks were becoming more of a thing. When it was revealed to be just a fun little video to pass the time in the final block, people were let down. The thing is, even though MT doesn't have record-breaking stats, it's a fantastic ride. I know it's not as fast as The Beast or Diamondback, and yet the way it's designed, it feels more out of control and wild i places than those. It's a great ride, one of the park's best, IMO (and a night ride comes close to rivaling The Beast). The shed? It's just a fun little thing at the end -- it's better than waiting for the train to prove, and we've ridden it enough where now we like to count how many times we've gotten the tree/snake/etc. I think in time the ride's settled into its reputation -- people love it; the shed is cheesy fun. But the marketing was miscalculated. Personally, as much as I love the ride, I still wish they'd been able to go with the original theme of it being a derelict roller coaster, where you entered through its ruins.

I get it, but also...The Brady Bunch was 50 years ago. Kids who watched it live then are in their 60s or 70s...is that the target demo anymore? It made sense when the show was syndicated heavily and people were still watching it regularly. But in the age of streaming, is The Brady Bunch still in the cultural consciousness enough to move the needle? I know it's on Paramount+, but are people still watching it in the way they watch "newer" old shows like Friends or Seinfeld? Also, the dates that the show filmed at KI were Aug. 20-24, so it's conceivable they could still post something. But if not, I mean, it's not a huge thing. The park's only open on weekends, it's not going to bring a ton of people in. I get that there are probably areas where the current comms team could improve. But as someone who works in marketing and communications, I can also say it's easy to play Monday morning quarterback, and you also don't know how higher-ups have influenced what they communicate and how.

Maybe they're just waiting for the 50th anniversary of the airing of the episode in November. That's a good way to drum up off-season annual pass and Winterfest tickets. It's not like they did nothing with the Brady Bunch last year for their own 50th.

Also forgot to mention the bees: They were out of control. You couldn't sit anywhere and eat without them swarming you. My little girl got stung just sitting down with cup of pop (glad she's not allergic, but it didn't stop the tears). Not sure what they can do, but the way they swarm the drink fountains is a recipe for disaster.

Visited the park earlier this week and gave it a few rides (it's one of my kids' favorite rides). I felt like the sets got some care this year -- I'd never noticed the fireplace effect before (maybe I just wasn't paying attention) and I like the lighting changes in the stretch with the skeletons. But it's still such an underwhelming ride, and much of that is due to the fact that the blasters are so unreliable. I'd say 90% of the time, my blaster didn't work. Really frustrating. I know people want to see Phantom Theater come back (we saw the last performance of Phantom Theater: Encore, and I was kind of hoping maybe there'd be a surprise announcement at the end of it), and I wouldn't be surprised if KI was mulling some sort of change back to that -- you'll never get the original ride with the animatronics and things like that. But I think you could eventually see an updated take on that idea with some of the characters. But every park seems to love these shooter rides -- and I get it; there's a lot of re-ridability in that. But after visiting Universal last year and riding Men in Black, anything else seems kind of routine. I wish they'd make a blaster ride with some of that speed and spinning. The slow crawl of Boo Blasters is really dull.

Did our yearly drive down from Detroit to Mason earlier this week. Had planned on spending Monday and Tuesday at the park; got down early enough to go Sunday night, too. A couple of thoughts: We were able to catch the very last show of the season for "Phantom Theater: Encore" after just missing it last year. I was really impressed at its quality. It's silly and cheesy, sure, but I thought it was a ton of fun and it had some really great Easter eggs for those who were able to ride PT back in the day. Fun to see an imaginative and original musical production instead of another theme park collection of cover songs (nothing wrong with those; it's just fun to see KI really try something new). I'm not sure whether this will be back next year, but I'd love to see either this show or something else original that also celebrates the park's history. That reminder of Phantom Theater only makes it stand out how much of a downgrade Boo Blasters is. Our kids love it, so we did it a few times, and it's such a mixed bag. On the one hand, it looks like some of the animatronics and sets got a fresh coat of paint and some re-thinking (the use of lights in the formerly pitch-black skeleton area is nice, and it looks like there's a new fireplace effect that's kind of fun). But the blasters were incredibly hit and miss. I'd say 90% of the time, nothing was hitting its target. A real shame, and I'd love to see them address that or just retheme this ride. Adventure Port isn't anything revolutionary, but it really cleans up a neglected area of the park. I love the colors and the theming. I'm sure Enrique's is still the same food as Hank's Burrito Bar from last year, but it was definitely the best meal we had during our trip (although I will say the pork sliders at Brewhouse came close). I didn't ride Sol Spin, but I took my kids on a few rounds of Cargo Loco and it's a really fun addition (I was spinning the wheel the wrong way for a bit and wondering why I wasn't getting any spins; figured out I had to spin it counter-clockwise, and I had a blast). I'd kind of hoped for more new theming on Adventure Express, but I really liked the new entrance way and the theming in the queue, and I was glad to see they got the arrows working again. Monday was a great day -- rain and storms earlier on kept crowds away, but most the rides ran throughout the day and we walked on pretty much everything. Tuesday was unexpectedly packed -- not sure if it was people who decided not to go on Monday or if people were just taking a mid-week trip for Wednesday's National Roller Coaster Day. But it was slam-packed and kind of miserable (although I think my next point shows why it was so miserable). In my nearly 40 years of going to KI, I don't think I've ever seen so many rides have so much downtime. Our first ride of the day on Sunday was Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown. We got on the stairs, heading into the loading area, and the ride shut down. They called a mechanic and, after about 15 minutes, shut the entire thing down for the rest of the day (we eventually got on). The next day, we were strapped into Banshee, ready to go, when the operators unlocked our restraints and told us to go back behind the gates because there was a mechanical difficulty. Fifteen minutes later, they told us the ride likely wouldn't be operating again any time soon. It was closed for the rest of our trip. Our last day there, not only was Banshee closed all day, but The Beast was down most the day, Mystic Timbers was closed most the morning, Backlot and Flight of Fear were down for a bit, and I believe Orion shut down briefly. I've never seen so many rides go down in one trip, and it likely is why all the rides that were open had such long wait times. The app was also problematic. It would constantly say I wasn't in the park and wait times would be way off. Also, it drained my phone's battery horribly. But lest you think it's all complaints, it was still a good trip. My son, who was too scared to ride Mystic Timbers last year, came and conquered Mystic Timbers, The Beast, Diamondback and Orion. The park was clean. And the food was good -- I already mentioned Enrique's and Brewhouse, but the International Street LaRosa's seemed back to quality this year and I really liked the Italian Sausage and Greek Salad from Grain and Grill. Also, the Red, White and Blue Funnel Cake was fantastic. I also have to praise the workers at the park who were, to a person, friendly and excited and very helpful, which I'm sure isn't easy this late into the season. A special shout-out to the crews at Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown and Banshee, who made sure to chat us up during ride downtime and see how our trip was going. It's the little personal touches like that that help alleviate the stress and frustration, and they really did a great job.

Yeah, back when it was the Kings Mill Log Flume, it was Rivertown. There used to be a more apparent divide -- they had that great floral walkway that provided a nice boundary between what was then Hanna Barbara Land (and even when it was Nick U?) and RiverTown. Now, the boundary's a bit confusing.

This is a fun addition and should make that area of the park even more fun for kids (just as my kids are starting to age out of it, but oh well). I'm a bit bummed there's still nothing being done in the Boo Blasters area. That ride could use a major overhaul and/or gutting. I know everyone wants to retheme it to Phantom Theater, but if that ever happens, I'd rather it happen elsewhere in the park. A Peanuts-themed dark ride would be a better fit. But it's really showing its age.

I hope that the new additions can make that back portion of the park a bit less disjointed, particularly when it begins to blend into Rivertown. I feel like Race for Your Life and Linus Launchers feel like they're more in Rivertown, cut off from the rest of Planet Snoopy. I hope they can make it feel a bit more cohesive, but I'm not quite sure how (I think the bathroom is the thing that throws me off, and you can't really eliminate that).

Didn't they just do a ton of work on Timberwolf last season? Seems odd that last year they'd pump some new life into it and then demolish it two years later. But then again, are there any concerts other than Spirit Song there this year? Maybe they weren't able to get traction. But hadn't heard anything about them demolishing it, unless I missed a rumor.

Or we can keep the chains and be a glorified mall food court.

I'd love to see a quality dark ride in there if they could also theme the outside of the building so it doesn't look like a giant box. Although, honestly, the worst thing is just walking past the sealed-up TR/Crypt entrance, which is just a constant reminder of the vacant real estate. And I think a previous poster is right -- I don't know that the building can host much more than what it had before without major renovations. I say just tear it down. Put up a nice little log flume/water ride there to harken back to the days of KCKC and reinvigorate the Rivertown feels. Also agree that something needs to be done with FX Theater. Just tear that one out. I know they're keeping a lot of these places for Haunts. Maybe it's just my perspective as a non-Haunts person, but it always looks a bit trashy just to keep a building standing so they can use it for one month in the fall.

This is exciting news. We live in Detroit, so Skyline has always kind of been a KI-specific food for us. But truthfully, my wife can't stand it (she calls it dog food), my daughter won't touch it and my old man stomach has begun telling me "maybe don't" in recent years (my son still digs it). And it's still there for people who want it -- and truthfully, the Coney location is a better fit for it anyway. A nice, healthy(ish) Mediterranean location sounds great. I'm with everyone who says get the franchises off IS, although my hunch is that Graters and Cinnabon are there to stay -- they're good locations for people who want a snack during the fireworks. And Starbucks isn't going anywhere -- it's too popular and, honestly, a good way to get that morning coffee if I rush out the door to the park without getting it. But LaRosa's already is available at two other park locations; you could easily put in a nice, brick/wood-oven pizza place original to KI. I like that they're focusing on some nice dining options in recent years. I'd still love to see a revamp of the options in Festhaus and for them to finally do something with the International Restaurant. Also, any work what's replacing CFA?

It always fascinates me what now-defunct rides from KI stick in my memory and which I have no recollection of. We started going to the park every year in 1982, when I was 3. So, theoretically, I would have gone for several years when Screamin' Demon and The Bat were there. I know we walked around the park, because King Cobra fascinated me as a kid. But I have no memory of seeing either coaster in action. I didn't know what The Bat was until years after Vortex opened; I think I learned about it when I was in the lobby of International Restaurant, where they had several news clippings from throughout the years on the wall. I'm curious about what would have happened if The Bat would've been successful -- I agree with others that the novelty would have been intriguing for a bit, but I don't see it having much longevity (no one went to Cedar Point for Iron Dragon for long). How much of the park's late-80s, early-90s success can be attributed to Vortex? That ride certainly wouldn't have been in its picturesque location, and it might not have been built at all (IIRC, it was built for basically free as a favor by Arrow after The Bat was closed). They would likely have gotten some sort of Arrow looper, but I don't know it would have been as special. Without that, do you still have a thrill-seeking audience coming in?

My kids enjoy Backlot, but they'll eventually outgrow it. I think it's...fine, but unless we're there on a day with a low wait time, we tend to steer clear of this one. I wouldn't be sad if they just cut it. While I don't mind the ride, I think it's an aesthetic disaster. A nice expanse of green space and fountains -- maybe a nice restaurant or something -- would look great behind the Eiffel Tower. Instead, one of the most picturesque locations in the park has shipping containers, helicopters and fire ruining the landscape. I know the space is too valuable to not put some large-style attraction there, but ugh, it's almost as much of an eyesore as the Crypt box.

I've often thought the Sunday thing could have been a major issue -- you're taking away one of the more popular and busier food options on a busy day. Personally, I won't miss it. It was a novelty for us coming from Detroit because until a few years years ago, we didn't have any CFAs in Michigan. Now, we have several, including two within five miles of us. For the same reason I don't get Subway or Panda Express at a theme park -- because I can get it elsewhere -- it doesn't really sound appealing to go to CFA during a visit. Plus, it was never a great experience. The line was always long and the menu was more expensive than an average CFA (a common theme park issue) and the menu was limited. Plus, I've always thought a big appeal to the CFA experience was the clean restaurant and ultra-friendly employees...both things I never really experienced at KI's. Would love to see them put something fun and original in there, but my guess is that with its location, you'll get another burgers/hot dogs/chicken nuggets-type place to satisfy the kids.

My sister's stayed at Camp Cedar a few times, and her experiences were largely positive. Said it's clean and the cabins are nice, although didn't care for the food that much. But isn't this place kind of notorious for trouble? I seem to recall hearing about a lot of fights (stabbings?) in the two years it's been opened, and there was a whole thing last year where someone drove a car into the pool. Wonder if CF just decided it's not worth having their names linked with a place in the news for so much trouble (when, after all, KI is already in the news in the spring sometimes for its own altercations).

As a Detroiter, I always thought it was cool when I went to CP or KI and they had CFA because we didn't have any in Michigan. In recent years, that's started to change and we have them all over (by year's end, I'll have two within five miles of me). So, it feels less special when I see it and I'm less likely to eat at the Kings Island CFA (also, the fact that the lines are always super long is another deterrent). When I go to the parks, I enjoy the local fare, but I'll pass on something I can get so close to my home. I do wonder if the reason we're seeing (right now) a park-to-park discontinuation of CFAs has anything to do with losing revenue by having a food venue closed on Sundays. I'm not sure of the food offerings at other Cedar Fair parks -- if they don't have as interesting a food lineup as Kings Island or Cedar Point (which is opening a huge restaurant next year), can they afford to have one of their major venues closed during a weekend day? Or, it could have to do with when each park's location opened; maybe Kings Island's CFA is operating under a contract that lasts a bit longer. I'm sure there are people on this forum who are much more knowledgeable about this than I am.

That whole side of the park has always felt a bit haphazard to me because the theme areas on that side really don't have the distinct boundaries or feels of, say, Rivertown and Planet Snoopy (or even IS). Action Zone just kind of tumbles into Oktoberfest, which sort of feels part of Coney unless you're sitting right outside Festhaus. Adventure Port should help with that, giving it a clearer distinction; hopefully they can focus on theming for Action Zone down the line, too. As for Coney, I agree; I feel like what I think of as Coney Mall is just that stretch alongside Racer back to WindSeeker. The path along Backlot to The Beast always feels like it's own separate, almost backstage area (when The Vortex was there, I think it felt more like a part of the park. But with the fencing and empty field behind it, it just feels like an annex area).

Never thought about this before, but I wonder if it technically was considered part of International Street when it was the ITALLIAN Job (yes, yes, I'm sure maps place it in Coney; but I agree, it doesn't feel like a fit).

Honestly, the more I think about this, the happier it makes me. It builds off two commitments I think KI has been really good about in recent years: creating new experiences for families, not just thrill-seekers, and respecting its history. My kids are on the cusp of late-preteen/early middle school age, and we hop on AE a lot. This gives them two new flat rides to get their feet wet one and means we don't have to treat AE as an out-of-the-way trip, because now there's also a good place to stop, rest and eat, as well as several rides around there. And I love that the two new flat rides are throwbacks to things like Skylab and Der Spinning Keggers. I think this area is going to really give KI a personality boost. I'd love to see them forgo adding a new giant roller coaster in The Vortex area and do another themed land there, but my hunch is that now that there's Adventure Port, they will focus on putting a coaster there (which is fine, too, so long as they commit to making it as photogenic as Vortex).

It doesn't say for sure, but my guess is Oktoberfest and Festhaus are both still there. Festhaus is too big of a people collector. I think it's that the beer gardens/Hank's are going to be rethemed to the Mercado/Enrique's. I love this addition. It clears up that transition area between Coney Mall and Action Zone nicely AND it creates an area where Adventure Express is the anchor attraction, which should dispel any of those rumors of it disappearing any time soon (as someone with young kids, AE is a ride we hit several times each visit).