DonHelbig

Make all the excuses you want, but the bottom line is the ride did not deliver the ROI the way the park expected it would.

If you’ve been looking for a classic East Coast getaway that works for families, couples, and even quick weekend escapes, Hershey PA is making a strong case for 2026. https://themeparksbydon.com/hershey-2026-new-hotel-restaurant-water-park-upgrades/

It is after all a flat ride.

Okay—keep the skepticism if it helps you win your day.

Planning to write about it soon.

Would you like to see Kings Island and Cedar Point join the Six Flags parks with Grad Nites? https://themeparksbydon.com/six-flags-grad-nite-2026-dates/

There was no concern it wasn’t record-breaking. That’s marketable until a ride opens and then it doesn’t matter if the ride doesn’t live up to the hype. People who were at the park at the time knew that, and knew it well. (Son of Beast) The decision to make it more family oriented so more guests would want to ride it was based on who the majority of the visitors to Kings Island have been, is now, and will always be: families. So, where does that come into play? The height. At 287, it looks less intimidating from the midways than 300-plus would have been. It still hits speeds over 90 mph and just 4 mph slower than Fury 325. It’s not because the height is only 287 that Orion ranked outside the top 40 in the 2025 Golden Ticket Awards for Best Steel Coasters. It’s not because of the length of the ride. It’s not because it opened during the pandemic. It’s because it’s missing an element that Fury 325 and Diamondback both have that riders absolutely love about those rides: an abundance of airtime. If Orion had Diamondback’s airtime, the sentiment about the ride is dramatically different. More parkgoers would be talking about it as one of the best.

Simply put, I was there. Directly involved. Now let me ask you: What part of the 5,321 feet of track you travel on an Orion train would have been different had there not been a pandemic when it opened? That’s what the sentiment is based on — the ride experience.

What does the circumstances it opened under have to do with the ride experience Orion delivers, which is what the overall sentiment is derived from?

I don’t know where they get their data but mine comes from sentiment reports — the same kind of reports used by theme parks throughout the industry and decisions get made from. I’ve done several sentiment reports on Orion since it debuted in 2020. The sentiment is it’s a good ride, but not a ride that drives attendance. It hasn’t delivered the expected ROI. The Beast on the other hand continues to drive attendance going on 47 years since its 1979 debut.

In 2026, Cedar Point’s pioneering looping coaster marks 50 years since it opened in 1976. http://sanduskyregister.com/go/6c78ba01489fd

We’re living a different world than we used to.

The launch of Orion was different than other new ride openings during my years at Kings Island. Everyone was working from home due to COVID-19 leading up to the opening of Orion, combined with a restructuring in marketing that led to less collaboration with these things. There weren’t the kinds of discussions there had been with previous new attractions to be able to tell you if that was considered. I agree a “Mission Accomplished” soundtrack would have been a cool ending. That’s something they easily could still add.

Because digital marketing doesn’t make those decisions.

Camelback Resort, a year-round recreational Mountains, has appointed Christopher Baulo as its new director of food and beverage. Baulo had served as director of food and beverage for Kings Island since 2023, where he oversaw all culinary operations in collaboration with the park's executive chef.