BeeastFarmer

I don't get a negative vibe from you at all. I think you are extpressing what you wish the park had done, like many of us do about many subjects. I think we all want the best version of KI there is and what we see as the best, the leaders don't. I enjoy your posts! Thanks, I consider that a great compliment. Maybe I should have worded it differently, but pre 2017, I did enjoy the reveal of the tower and fountains. But it was stale as not much pizzaz had been added or maintained beyond that. When the pop music was changed in 2017, for me, the magic returned. And then the renovation built on that. I now look forward to the atmosphere on IS as much as riding Diamondback, and take the time to experience it each time I go to the park.

I'll give my two cents: I would have loved to have seen a curb element installed. More than that, I would have loved to see the ornate lamps return, that were removed during the Cedar Fair tenure. Also, I prefer the fountain pedestals to the show jets. BUT--in spite of this, I am glad they did what they did. It looks great and functions great. It is now an experience instead of just a walk through to get into the park. I also think the new blacktop around the tower is temporary. I hope they replace it with pavers and extend this into Tower Gardens. Perhaps this will be a phase two. Of course I would like to see some ornate landscaping around the fountain and tower--flowers around the fountain (no trimmed shrubbery and white rocks) and flowers and weeping shrubbery around the tower.

It didn't sound muffled at first, during the first song, but as the show went on, you could tell they were singing, especially when it not the entire ensemble. I did notice that the Peanut Gang's voices had some issues--like if CB was on stage left, it only played on the speakers on stage left, so it sounded unbalanced as we were on stage right. They were scrambling in the booth. When they were on stage right, it was extra loud of those of us on that side..

^ I was at the 930pm Peanuts Spectacular and thought the masks were odd, But as the show went on, it was easy to determine that the performers were singing. Especially when it was just 2 or three perforrmers.

All these things were noticed by myself. And the Winter Buffet was closed too! But I took a friend to his first Winterfest. He is a theater guy. He had a blast and was very appreciative of the entertainment staff. Saw Tinker's for the first time. When Tinker gets his spirit, and when Snoopy shows up in Spectacular show, my eyes do get a little misty. My friend says that is the sign of a good actor/show...a human connection is made.

Why all the hate for ACE in this thread?

I'd much prefer a standard wheel in Oktoberfest. Get it back to its' roots.

You seem to have many bad experiences at KI. I tend to avoid the Sweet Spot because I don't need the carbs. I hope your next visit is trouble free!

I think Invertigo restroom and the Planet Snoopy (By the Ghost of Resturaunts Past, not the Rivertown side) ones are the best as they have AC and seemingly improved ventilation so the smell is minimal. Now there is an obscure KI fact I have never heard. Spock Fascinating GIF - Bing images

The updated men's rooms still have this issue. The ones without cooling need to have their HVAC systems updated. Men splash at the urinals by nature, they need to switch to the urinal pad that disperses the stream so splash is minimized. You see these in truck stops. They also need to add restroom buildings. Each land should have at least 2 stand alone restroom buildings in most instances. Planet Snoopy needs one between First Aid and The Beastie. Rivertown needs one near the Crypt. Coney Mall is ok, but Area 72 needs a stand alone restroom building.

RE: cost. I did a little Dr. Google research. Assumption-93 acres. This is 4051080 sq feet. How many sq. feet in an acre? - Acres to Square Feet (calculatorology.com) Cost to blacktop per sq. ft: $1.59* (according to the website, it is 1.49 to 1.69, so I went with the midpoint) How Much Does Commercial Parking Lot Paving Cost? | ProMatcher Cost: $6.441,217.20 93 acre lot came from a previous discussion here on KIC. The handicap and preferred parking lot will probably not get paved, maybe resealed and restriped to match. They may not resurface the entire lot. The price may be lower (discount for off season work) or higher (premium price for off season work/materials). Finally, it's my opinion that this and other investments are very exciting for the future of KI. Ride repaints, infrastructure, and rebuilding of The Beast represent a huge capital outlay, not to mention everything else since 2017. I hope the $100 IR tickets, pen sets, posters, meal plans, drink plans continue to sell well so these projects will continue to be "funded."

Sorry for a double post but I could not add text in the original post or with editing. The source for the photo was a screenshot from the Kings Island Season Passholder Facebook page, under a discussion about the parking lot.

The north parking lot was closed off when I was there Sunday and you could see where some milling had been done. Preferred parking was still open.

As of now, KK does not have an app. The season pass is stored on Apple wallet--a friend got/renewed at the gold level and she has a QR code but it only works on Apple.

Finally...information about season passes. An email was sent to passholders today. New for 2022-free Pre-k Pass. Silver Pass-free parking. $1 soft drinks. 10% discount. Gold pass--all silver benefits plus free drinks if you bring your bottle, 20% discount. bring a friend free tickets and exclusive gold perks (TBD). Still no platinum pass, though. Not open for general purchase yet. Pass is virtual, if you want a physical pass, you have to pay an extra fee, which is not mentioned.

^^ Add in vines on the buildings and rides. Then the Mystic Timbers legend will have been complete!

Have the really done a Winterfest name to Merry Timbers?

@brenthodge awesome ideas! It will be interesting to see if any of these are implemented. I do think there would be pushback from the vendor villiage folks. They want the area with the highest traffic flow, so I doubt they will move it anytime soon.

^ I disagree. When you are removing structure down to the footings, it is anything but routine. This greatly excites me because it demonstrates the long term commitment that KI/CF has to The Beast. Perhaps they are going to do some noise abatement too, to satisfy those neigbors.

There were pink ribbons and paint dots on The Beast walkback during Coastertock. I was hoping that it would not be shared here because of the conversation that would ensue.

^It was on one of the podcasts I listen to. Maybe it was In The Loop or Coaster Radio, but they interviewed the guy who is in charge of park decor.

Supposedly he still maintains a minority share of ownership of the contract. I did see him at a distance on one of my visits. If this against TOS (I have no source from the park directly, just trusted friends who know people), I apologize and mods, please edit: Some of the younger members of the Hart management team did not like the old timers and kind of turned HFE against them. That's why they are no longer there. Also, most of the full time staff was let go after the 2020 season because the pandemic decimated the park/pocketbook of the partners. So that makes a less that stellar change in 2021 more palatable to me. Having the freedom of no chain behind it is often a good thing until is comes to finances! If they are truly going to rework the park, they have a massive chore ahead of them and I hope it all turns out well.

I preferred the 2017/18 versions of the lighting ceremony and Tinker anyway, so that is good news for my future visits!

So....long time, no news on this thread. I went to KK a few time this summer. Beside cinnamon bread, not much at all changed on the public front. Evidently, some long term employees who had been through the current KK, the SFKK and the previous KK were let go under presure from some of millenial management and are quite bitter about it. (This is a rumor, it is a fact they are no longer there, but the source I got it from just relayed what he heard from some industry people who are not known). The FB season passholder group was very quiet but now is crickets. As is the park. It is my understanding that, after running the park for a season and testing the water, 2022 will begin a transformation of the park into a more HFE brand. I do wish the park would be more transparent rather than waiting for some kind of grand reveal. I am curious what the season pass program will look like.