cdubbs727

Back when the International Restaurant was open during the summer, it was always a highlight of our trip. You took an hour or so out of the sun to take in a beautiful view and a nice, sit-down meal (I was only a kid, but I remember the steak being pretty good). My favorite area was actually the lobby, though, which had old news stories about the park framed and put on the wall (that's the first time I ever heard of The Bat's original form). I've always been bummed that it's closed. But it's definitely a smaller restaurant -- it would have to either be overhauled or placed on a reservation-only system. I would love to see it turned into kind of a nice lounge or bar area, where some of the grownups can take in a drink at the end of the day. Honestly, the best-case scenario would be an overhaul of the front gates that also accommodated a larger restaurant above that maintained the view but also expanded the capacity. But I'm torn on that because I really do love the front gates Kings Island has now...they feel like a legit entranceway and the way it's designed hides International Street until you get there, and that's always one of the great parts of any trip.

This would seem to be that point.

I don't think you're crazy! I came here to say the same thing. We get to Kings Island once a year. Rode Orion in 2020 and I liked it, but didn't love it, and the reason why was because I didn't experience much airtime. Went last week and rode it twice. I don't want to say it felt like a different coaster, but it felt like it was achieving its full potential. The speed felt more pronounced and there were several airtime moments that I don't remember experiencing last year. I was wondering if the full trains made a difference as well. I think it's jumped past Diamondback for me.

We were at the park last week, Thursday and Friday. I had coincidentally seen Green Day in concert in Detroit two days earlier. I thought it was "fun" that when I entered the park, the first thing I heard was an instrumental version of their song "Still Breathing." And then I heard it 20 more times between those two days and it was less fun. Same with Bohemian Rhapsody; fun song until it's stuck on near repeat. They have a nice mix of styles throughout the different areas of the park, but the they really need longer playlists. But I'm assuming rights issues play a huge role.

I think people tend to forget how vital it is to have good family coasters instead of just thrill rides. Backlot Stunt Coaster is a great entry-level coaster for kids, particularly those who aren't ready for anything with too big of a hill yet (my son had an easier time acclimating to BLSC than to Woodstock Express because of this). It's a fun coaster and gives a good experience. I think it still has awhile left. The only big sticking point for me is location. I hate that it's smack-dab in the middle of the park; that's good real estate, and it's an unsightly mess behind the otherwise picturesque Eiffel Tower (the flames going off tend to ruin the romantic appeal of the tower). But it's gotta go somewhere, I guess.

I hope so! We're doing our yearly trip there late next week! (We like to come that last week of the operating season, because the lines tend to be much shorter).

#whatsinthegigashed is going to be such a letdown.

Yeah, I agree with FoF. I think The Beast, Mystic Timbers, Diamondback, Banshee and Orion are all legit great coasters. The Bat, Adventure Express and Backlot Stunt Coaster are all solid family coasters; if anything, they're all underrated. But FoF is becoming the one I could easily skip. The queue theming was fun when it opened, but now it's just a bit tedious and out of date. I think that FoF is a fun ride, don't get me wrong. That launch is fantastic and when the ride is speeding along, it's great. But it's so short, and I think it's becoming one of the rougher rides in the park. I'd love for them to switch up the theming, maybe do an overhaul in the queue with the story to tie it into Area 72 more explicitly and experiment with some special effects (at least stars or for effects, although the latter might be bad on the track) in the spaghetti bowl. As is now, it's just not worth the long wait. I did not say Invertigo because I think it's rated just right; I don't know anyone who likes it :-)

I haven't been to Cedar Point since the year before GateKeeper, even though we live 2 hours away (we have kids, and KI is the better park for that). I've always been the same way -- loved the coasters, but there was an element that KI has that was always missing from CP. But these pictures are so good -- those floats are really cool, and I could feel the thing that made them unique to CP (those floats would not have worked at KI). I need to get back there soon!

What's going on with Diamondback and Valravn?

Must have been a rushed article...I noticed the writer kept an editorial note in there :-)

For the 50th, I think a year-long celebration of the park's history would be great. KI has really leaned into nostalgia in recent years (bringing back Antique Cars, redoing International Street). The recommendation about small exhibits commemorating old rides and attractions would be a great addition -- or, transform Tower Gardens into a walk-through Kings Island museum (similar to the exhibits when it had the Paramount Story, but KI-centric). I remember there was talk about a KI documentary (not produced by the park) being in the works and debuting about the same time -- it would be great to have that playing somewhere, maybe in the Kings Island Theater at certain times or just on a loop in Festhaus (and if that doc isn't produced, maybe that's something for KI to do). A really spectacular evening show would be great to close the park with. And maybe the theme is that 2022 is all about celebrating the park's past, and if there IS some big project coming in 2023, maybe build up to that announcement all summer long, teasing the park's future.

I never pull out the maps when I get them (I've been going to KI all my life, so I don't need it; there are also electronic maps everywhere). For me, it's what KIghostguy said. It's about collecting; it's a nostalgic thing. When I was a kid, the first thing I did when we got to the park was grab the map and unfold it to look for showtimes, find where the new ride was, etc. I like the idea that I can still do that, and I love that now my kids get just as excited about it. They may be inessential, but for some it's a big part of the experience.

I love the idea of more outdoor entertainment scattered throughout the park. I always like the idea of seeing a show at KI, but logistically it never works out. We have to plan time to be at a specific venue, watch the show and eat up about an hour of time we could be doing other things. The idea of stumbling upon music while walking to another attraction, taking five minutes to stand and watch, and then moving on sounds nice, and I think it will contribute to the atmosphere. I do think it's going to make lines for a nighttime ride on Orion a real pain, though. Unrelated, but a tangent: Does anyone remember when CP used to have live DJs in some of their queues? This was probably 15-20 years ago. I remember Millennium Force had one, Magnum had one, and Raptor always tended to have the best. My guess is paying for the staff for it became too cost-prohibitive, but I always thought that would be fun to have at more parks (and bring back to CP).

Vacant Tomb Raider - Keelboats (although that would likely impact Diamondback, but this is fantasy anyway) Boo Blasters - Smurfs Enchanted Voyage Woodstock Express - paint it yellow, put back in the tunnel and rename it Beastie

We went last year, and the masks did not bother me one bit. If we got tired, they had the no-mask areas, but the only time I ever really found it an inconvenience was on one of the more intense roller coasters, like Orion, where I had to find a way to hold onto it for fear of it flying off. KI was one of the first places we ventured back to in the pandemic and I felt safe the entire time. Wearing a 1/2-inch fabric cloth doesn't really bother me, especially when it helps others. That said, I'm glad to see them pulling back on the requirement outdoors. We're fully vaccinated, so we're starting to breathe a bit easier about everything, and it will be nice just to see less masks from a relaxation standpoint. And I think it's absolutely possible to use the midways and walking areas at KI and maintain six-foot distance with others (plus, I'd reckon there's a greater risk with sustained contact, not merely passing by someone while walking outdoors). Queues are the only area where I would think it might be an issue, but I imagine they'll keep the placeholders to remind people to be distant. We're not planning to go until August (we love going that last week of operation, when the crowds are much lower). I assume that by then we'll see more of an impact from the vaccines and you'll start to see more restrictions pulled back.

Soak City is gross (tbf, I feel this way about most waterparks).

My book arrived this week. Probably going to save it to read on vacation next month, but two big surprises: 1.) This is a good-sized book. I anticipated maybe a short, 100-page quick read. This is fairly hefty, and browsing through it, it's comprehensive and very well written. Which led to my second surprise... 2.) @KIghostguyis super young! I always assumed he was someone who was around my age, who'd been involved with the park for decades. But he's a kid! And he wrote a good-sized book! I have a master's in communication and toiled over a 100-page thesis last year; he has a nearly 400-page history on Kings Island! I'm impressed! Major kudos, and I look forward to reading this!

For many people, Orion will be a new ride this year, and I agree with others who believe next year will be a 50th anniversary celebration. My guess is they won't announce a coaster for that; I'd imagine they follow something similar to what Cedar Point previously announced (and is doing this year). I'd love to see them do some sort of commemorative photo book like CP did (although I've also pre-ordered A RIDE THROUGH TIME, so if they don't, I'm pretty set on history). KI seems to do a better job with nostalgia than CP does, so I'd imagine they'll really lean into it for next year. For this year, I think it's just going to be a typical year, focused on getting back to normal-ish. I know right now seems to be an iffy time, with spikes in cases around the country. But I know there's optimism that as more people are vaccinated, cases will dramatically drop and this summer will be fairly normal. Just a year of powering through, followed by an announcement for the anniversary year, will be good enough for me.

Just placed an order! Can't wait to read this!

Yes! Cinema 180 was where Antique Cars is now. I think it might have been closed down to make way for Flight Commander, but I'm not 100% sure; my memory is fuzzy and I think I remember seeing the structure standing with FC, so take it with a grain of salt. I remember doing it once and not liking it. It was very claustrophobic sitting on the floor with so many people in that dark room and the big screen was overwhelming (I was a small child at the time). I also remember we went in just as a storm was approaching and had to be evacuated because the metal supports could pose a hazard.

We live out of state, so I can't speak to what was going on in the local KI community. But I remember when we heard about it, we were pretty excited. It was a "sequel" to the park's biggest, baddest and most famous roller coaster. I was still in my teens, so I was all about wanting to try the biggest and most extreme thing. And it fit in with the Paramount mindset of making every ride an event. I waited for hours to ride it the year it opened and I remember looking at the giant structure hulking over the Action Zone midway thinking "that seems like a lot." The actual experience was mixed. It definitely had thrills. It was big and fast, and it was the speed and height more than the loop that made it so memorable (although the loop was fun). But it might also be the only roller coaster I've ridden where I thought the designers were trying to kill me (and I've ridden Mean Streak!). I had bruises on my arms, and the Rose Bowl section was excruciating. I regularly left the ride with a splitting headache; one year, it ruined my entire afternoon at the park. I started buying Tylenol before we rode it. By the time they finally closed it down and took out the loop, I was hitting my late 20s and had stopped going to the park for a few years. It wasn't until I hit 30 and started going with my now-wife that I saw it in SBNO mode, which might have been the saddest sight of all (I was so glad they took Vortex down quickly so we didn't have to endure that). I miss it from a sheerly nostalgic perspective, in the sense that I can pull up video and tell my son "yeah, I rode that." But honestly, once you got past the novelty the ride was too painful to be fun. I don't miss it, but I do appreciate the big swing they took in building it.

Interesting! I don't have any pictures, but man do I remember when going to the Festhaus for lunch and a show was an event. I remember when they had the ice-skating show in there for a bit. That was pretty cool and it really did feel like it was a centerpiece for entertainment. So many weird shows there during the Paramount era - not just the ice show, but also a "Cheers" musical (!) and really silly game show that I loved as a kid. These days, it just feels kind of like an afterthought. The shows are fine, but I don't get the feeling that anyone's particularly excited to rush in and see it (that also might just be me getting older; maybe no one was ever excited for this but kids!).

I noticed this last summer, too. It seems they did some rehab on this and everything seemed to work better, the animatronics were working and it just was an all-around better ride. My kids (ages 9 & 5) still love it; it's probably the ride they go on most at KI each year, and I enjoy the game. I grew up with Smurf's Enchanted Voyage, and it was a really great little dark boat ride. I still remember it vividly. And I thought Phantom Theater was a lot of fun. But truth is, a lot of my love for those rides probably stems from the age I was when I rode them anyway. I'm not the target audience for this one anymore; but if kids love it, and KI wants to keep it around, that's fine.

I feel like a redo of the attraction using modern technology would be fun. I don't think a slavish re-creation (same rooms/scenes) would be that great, as chances are the ride and its effects were likely much better in your memory than in reality (although it was a fun ride). But there was some clever IP to use and it holds a place in visitors' hearts. I think what was described above, a total redo of that building and installation of a new ride system (or, better yet, use something like the Crypt's building) that uses the IP to create a whole new experience might be fun. And KI has shown a willingness to celebrate its history and lean on nostalgia. A new, reimagined Phantom Theater isn't totally out of the question, particularly if you use projection mapping or something other than expensive animatronics. I don't think it will happen, but I don't think it's totally out of the question.