BeeastFarmer

KD does so many things right...but so many things wrong!

Ive only been a couple of times this year but what I heard was a part got fried in a lightning strike and they had to wait on a part from intamin. I don't know how much labor they would save...if only one deck is open, they'd have a greeter, elevator operator and up top host. Usually when the ride is down, they have two operators and the greeting station to tell people it's closed.

I think there is a difference in purposely closing it vs a mechanical issue.

I think it would be a loss to loose the Eifel Tower for additional weekends. If I recall correctly, typically the last weekend is the only weekend it's closed during haunt because they are adding the Christmas lights.

Then you loose out on the basically free revenue from the No Boo scam...er I mean necklace.

Plus, they should have hardware from Grand Carnivale that they could re use!

It appears to me that the park looks at slow but steady overall growth in attendance numbers. Family additions are currently all the rage with thrill additions sprinkled in across the regional park scene...along with festivals/special events. I'd conjecture that season pass sales are a huge part of the strategy. When listening to the quarterly conference calls, they emphasize pass sales. With the festivals and family additions, it seems a strategy of increasing SP visits would help to grow attendance (for a fictional example,they may say " in 2018, our average season pass holder visited 3 three times. We would like to incrementally increase these visits to 5 by 2022 and 7 by 2025.") In this scenario, they are counting on passholders buying extras...pins, posters, blue ice cream, tasting cards (dog!) etc. A large thrill coaster will not be a draw unless the property is a resort, like CP. But even there, they are trying to increase season pass sales.

@MisterSG1, just went there last summer for a couple of days. Few questions maybe you can answer: 1. Is the park normally as dirty as it was in early June? Trash everywhere, castlebins overflowing etc. 2. Why very limited drink fountain refill stations inside the restaurants? 3. What's the deal with the teens spitting? 4. Is is normal in that part of Canada for the population to not have a sense of personal space?

Whenever I'm in a Rivertown mood, I head for Spotify and select "Pickin'On Series". I'm sure you could search for Swing Swing specifically.

How about the Coke Zero version? Definitely not the Big K version though.

What stands out to me: generally after a major roller coaster is installed, there is no significant bump in attendance. Mystic Timbers had a slight increase, but that's also when WinterFest returned. I guess since the park is so heavy in passholders, they are happy with the average attendance. OP: thanks for the data. How hard would it be to do this for CP?

In markets where Winterfest has been known as Winterfest, the name should continue. As should unique names such as Knott's Merry Farm. Holiday in the Park sounds generic to me, so I would hope this gets rebranded.

I guess park managers as owners sometimes is good sometimes is bad.

With haunt Saturdays being among the busiest of the year, I'm guessing the business decision to open and get more people in would come into play. 26ish hours of Haunt, if it's Friday Saturday Sunday vs 15 hours of WinterFest. Of course, that means more payroll, so hopefully it will be good fall weather that weekend.

Ditto

New dive coaster for SF Great America! Looks like a great fit for this park that I'm unfamiliar with. The teaser is giving off Cedar Fair vibes.

New dive coaster for SF Great America! Looks like a great fit for this park that I'm unfamiliar with. The teaser is giving off Cedar Fair vibes.

While I agree that the Kings Island of today is a far cry from its 70s and 80s heyday, I believe the park has found a comfortable niche in its current market. Recent additions like Adventure Port, Camp Snoopy, and the Soak City expansion seem tailored to the local audience, addressing long-standing needs while remaining relatively modest in scale. While some might argue for more ambitious expansions, such as extending Adventure Port to the funnel cake stand or revamping the entire kids' area under the Camp Snoopy banner, the current approach appears to be working. The park's nostalgic appeal, coupled with consistent, albeit smaller, additions, seems to satisfy the local market. However, one might question the impact of these additions on overall attendance. While new attractions often bring initial surges, it's unclear whether they lead to sustained increases. Have additions like Banshee or Mystic Timbers truly driven attendance up significantly in the long term? Or do they maintain a steady, but minute net attendance increase? Regardless, Kings Island's strategy appears to be paying off. Despite numerous complaints about service, cleanliness, or entertainment offerings, rides/park services/landscape/communications/ambassador staff cuts, the park continues to attract a loyal following. This suggests that the park's target audience is more concerned with the overall experience and the availability of new, albeit small-scale attractions, rather than the finer details. As long as Kings Island continues to cater to this core market and they buy the passes and add-ons, it's unlikely to deviate significantly from its current trajectory. We may see occasional larger coasters, but the overall focus will likely remain on smaller-scale additions and enhancements that appeal to local families. It's interesting to note the growing sentiment of burnout among some park fans. While decreased pass sales could potentially force a change in direction, it remains to be seen whether this dissatisfaction is widespread enough to have a significant impact.

I must concur that these enhancements are designed to serve the local demographic, particularly season pass holders. Unless Kings Island intends to undertake a comprehensive renovation and rebranding of Soak City, these are the improvements we can anticipate, and I am personally satisfied with them. A rebranding and renovation , with a large expansion with expensive endeavors, would be necessary to attract enthusiasts from outside the region. And for what? How many water park enthusiasts are going to travel to Cincinnati when the region has super water parks within a 2-4 hour drive? In my personal discussions, Soak City is often rated below other parks like Splashin' Safari and Kentucky Kingdom, although I have not encountered empirical data. Overall, this addition aligns with expectations, and it is anticipated to enhance local patronage and park capacity.

That script has been used on the tower for as long as I can remember, and Ive been going since Taft.

It was the weirdest thing...just spitting all over the place. Not a hawk tua thing and not a propulsion thing...just a spit. I mean I spit in the comfort and privacy of my own farm, but not in public.

I can't comment on the internal, but the park was annoyingly crowded. That didn't bother me so much, but the inefficient procedures did. Lazy Bear Lodge...slow to serve the food. Think Coney BBQ with both sides open and lines to Coney Treats. One cashier. One drink stand. Backlot Cafe...no drink stations, you had to get your drink before entering, so wait in that line, then wait in a long food line, your drink was gone, hot or watered down (if the park had ice) Blue Ice Cream...4 people in front of me. 3 workers. Still took 20 minutes to get a cone. And they said they were not allowed to put it into a cup. Ride ops were great on most coasters, almost rivaling KI. Friendly too. Park wasn't very clean. Finally, the park can't control this, but the crowds....no sense of personal space. Children literally pawing at me. Teens cutting right in front of you on International Street...worse than KI teens. And the spitting...oh the spitting... Despite the dirty state of the park, it was beautiful. Still has some hints of Taft.

I haven't seen any mention that this is Ohio's largest and most powerful enema attraction.

IIRC, the Scooby Doo dark rides were licensed by Sally. I think they have all disappeared now.

HB rights are owned by Warner, I think. They also own Looney Toons and DC comics. I dont know if SIX had rights to HB and didn't use them, or if they never persued it. I'd love to see Scoob and Snoop hang out together while Velma looks for her glasses Daphne and Fred head to the Mystery Machine and Shaggy heads out to the smoking area. Maybe when they meet back up, they can take the mask off of Saleem!