BeeastFarmer

Please clarify: are these cages at KI or Dollywood?

Wow, Kings Dominion ENTIRELY closed today due to a water main break. I don't know their specific situation, but looks like any excuse to close a park is the rule of law now. Q2 earnings call is going to be very interesting. With all the water park closures, parks closing early for a threat of rain etc, it will be interesting to see the numbers. Of course, they will blame everything that they can on excuses...weather, cicadas, wildfire smoke, labor shortages (we all should know that is false), tariffs, gas prices, etc. A big selling point of the merger was geographic distribution so that the company wouldn't be bound by these limitations. Well, there goes that!

I haven't ridden Thunderbird in ten years. Plan on going this month or next. I was at Holliwood nights, had just become an enthusiast the year before (learning so much thanks to my early coaster friends!) , and T-bird got me over my fear of inversions. I had a very bad experience on FOF in or around 2009 and swore I would never go upside down again. It literally ruined my day at KI. My friends convinced me to ride Banshee, which was a year old, at the very first Coasterstock during ERT. I jumped to the exit side after chickening out. During ERT at Holiwood nights, I just watched it launch from the plaza and station over and over and finally rode it...haven't looked back, except FOF, which I can only tolerate with lights on.

So negative. Everything is fine. Ignore the screaming in the woods.

Isn't there a fire sale going on for six flags passes that give you free drinks with a 2025 pass or daily ticket purchase?

Or, alternatively, as the guest experience at parks erodes, you may see more things get contracted out. They can show investors that they have reduced headcount and categorize subcontractor work under different budget items. I believe they have subbed out national advertising for years ...let's hope they choose better proposals than the "Funsultant" series. That is more painful than the Fun and Only series.

I haven't been to Kings Island this year, and have no plans to go, so I freely admit my ignorance of this from an anecdotal first person experience. However... Ride staffing has been cut in The Beast and The Racer since 2023 and I've posted about that in these forums. It's not new. Garbage cans have overflowed and tables have been dirty for years, especially on busy days. It's not new. Ice has been out. It's not new. Flavors have been out. It's not new. Food has been out. It's not new. Handicapped parking has been out. It's not new. Again, the regular attenders would be able to speak to this season more than me. But to say that these things are all new is simply not true. It probably is worse and probably will get worse before it gets better. Other parks like Holiday World and KK have figured ice and drink flavors out. KI has rich historical attendance records they can use to project, it's just a matter of it not being a priority for an expense. Because, let's face it ...it's a highly penetrated park. So, corporate can kind of treat KI like a "person of the evening" because they count on renewals. Until this changes, I doubt we will see much change. Also, at least for me, the 2022 season set the bar so high as a passholders that just about anything else will fall short. It's difficult to be realistic about something you have an emotional attachment to, something that has been woven into the fabric of life as a small child, a pre teen, a teen, a young adult and a middle aged adult. But I think a balanced perspective helps. Thank you for listening to my TED Talk.

I finally made it back to Kentucky Kingdom for this season, it was a real mixed bag. But in a mostly good way. The place was absolutely hopping, both the theme park and the water park were busy which is great to see. And you can tell Herschend's got their fingerprints all over it, especially with Discovery Meadow They've completely transformed what used to be a bit of a forgotten corner into something vibrant and alive. It really shows you what this park could be, and that's exciting to me. They've done a nice job sprucing things up. Flowers blooming all over the place, new trees planted and old trees providing some much-needed shade – it all looks so fresh, yet established and well-cared-for. The new pavement and those artificial turf areas make the whole place feel cleaner. Plus, seeing the costumed characters roaming around and hearing some decent music playing? It gives the whole park a lighter, almost Doklywood vibe. It's got a great family-friendly feel that helps you relax a bit. The trampoline show was fun, even though it's a two man show. The flower festival is going on, and there are flowers everywhere. Now, for the stuff that made me sigh. Ride operations were agonizingly slow. I get that Woodland Run is a one-train wonder, but ten-minute dispatches? That's painful-- waiting 35 minutes at the stairs? Seriously? Wind Chaser was out of commission for half my visit, too, which was a real drag. On the bright side, Lightning Run was actually running pretty smoothly with its single train. So, there was that. And while I appreciate the free drinks with the Gold Pass, having to lug around that reusable cup is a bit of a nuisance. Cedar Fair's spoiled me with their disposable paper cups. But, credit where credit's due, this cup is thick, and my ice barely melted. They even say it's dishwasher safe, which is a nice touch. As for Discovery Meadow, despite being a major improvement, it still had some rough edges. I know they were under the gun time-wise, but seeing concrete forms for the lighting rigs still sticking out, and cracks in the older concrete sections, just pulls you out of the magic a bit. It feels unfinished and honestly, a bit of a trip hazard. This is where some of the old Kentucky Kingdom issues still linger. I'm hoping as the park continues to raise its standards and really leans into that family market, these things will sort themselves out. But honestly, the sheer volume of water park attire in the dry park was astonishing. Call me old-fashioned, but seeing adults in bikinis and shirtless in Discovery Meadow, even with Mile High Falls right there, just doesn't feel appropriate for a family theme park. It distracts from the atmosphere they're clearly trying to create. Then there were the hosts. And let me be clear: this isn't a dig at their friendliness – everyone I encountered was great. It was more about a lack of urgency and support. Case in point: at the Bluegrass Bakery, I was the only person in line, wanting some cinnamon bread to go. The lovely young lady literally had to track down a supervisor just to log into the register, and then someone in the back had to assemble the bread. What should have been a two-minute transaction dragged on for ten. If the place had been slammed, it would've been a total mess – and I've witnessed that scenario there myself. Same story at the pizza place. Again, I was the only customer. I wanted a drink and a grab-and-go pudding. They had a non-verbal special needs host at the drink station, which I absolutely support, but there was no support person nearby. It led to this awkward two-minute wait just to get a drink. I genuinely felt bad for that young person; they clearly needed more immediate assistance. Then it was another two minutes just to find a cashier and ring up the pudding. It's those little things that can add up and can really sour the experience, especially when those locations arent busy. Despite these frustrations, I truly believe this park has a bright future. As Herschend continues to put their unique stamp on every part of the park, elevating the whole experience, it's going to become better. It will finally shed the lingering ghost of Six Flags, and even the narrative of being "the park brought back from the dead." What Ed Hart accomplished in reviving Kentucky Kingdom was nothing short of a miracle, and the current investment is clearly building on that incredible foundation. The front of the park, even with some ride shuffles and one removal, still feels cohesive. And with that entire back section now fenced off, from Taco Tequila to where the Larson Loop used to be, it feels like big things are coming. With continued investment, both the front and back of this park are going to be in fantastic shape.

Maybe it's the corn. Or it could be the collard greens they serve or used to serve.

Gary is a class act and has a life story that is worthy of a memorial. It's a shame he was not celebrated more in the last couple of years of his frequent rides. I hope he is doing as well as he can despite the health issues.

Generative AI is so fascinating!

The chain wide 20% off a silver pass ended. Now they are giving free drinks with tickets and passes, evidently chainwide. Or am I misreading this and the free drinks are just for day passes? If I have bought a pass with a drink plan only to find out that the same pass, minus whatever amount they have increased it by, would now give me free drinks.

Anything is possible. At Over Texas's Holiday in the Park, they implemented the CF tree lighting ceremony, complete with the Peanuts song, but with Bugs Bunny instead of Snoop.

Banshee replaced SOB. That was in 2014. Orion replaced Firehawk in 2020. Mystic Timbers didn't replace anything. Vortex hasn't been replaced. This would be an opportunity to fill in the gap of a thrill coaster. Kings Island is a family park. That is what they cater to and will continue to do so. I'd love to have a major thrill coaster as well, but if we get rides that are the caliper of Mystic Timbers and Orion, I won't be mad.

Beautiful show in the Royal Fountain today! (sarcasm)

I wonder how much of the Q2 missed targets will be blamed on the Canadian wildfire smoke?

Just guessing, but I would think that River Racers, even with it's capacity, will move more people through than the surfing ride did.

I would feel better about spending that $50 if the shirts weren't mass produced in overcrowded factories paying very small wages. But, that is a much bigger problem than KI. Hypocritically, i am typing this on a phone where many components were made in such a fashion...and I fall victim to the trap of thinking I need to upgrade every year or two which perpetuates the problem .

Exactly! But I think investors are seeing a sinking ship. Stock price is in the tank and the dumpster fire of an investors meeting at CP probably did more harm than good. Regarding HFE, I just mentioned them as a dream. They are in no position in the foreseeable future as they just took out a little over a billion dollar loan and will have spend to bring parks up to their standards. But I think, wisely, they will carefully get to know the markets before steamrolling ahead.

They are counting on KI to produce attendance and revenue with minimal spend. Currently, people will buy and renew without regard to the experience. When the numbers fall, they will invest. Or we will be in the hands of a private equity firm ...or in my dreams, HFE.

I might be wrong on this, but I think pizza has always been in The Italian Building, Fudge/Saltwater Taffy in The Spanish Building, a Patisserie in The French Building, a sausage had and some sort of bigger eaterie in The German Building, and the Rainbo Bakerie in The Swiss Building. I don't remember much about the merch from the early years besides the glass blower who actually made his wares in front of you, the character and fruit sippers, and going out to the car to eat because we were poor :).

If I had any position in this company, I would be making a back up plan. How stable are these park level social media positions? How stable are the executive chef positions? Logic would dictate very stable as food is seen as a key metric for future growth. Will they say " hey Chef Major can handle everything east of the Mississippi River, and Chef X can handle anything west if it. On the park manager position...if that person knows the market very well, but the regional person doesn't, would they be targeted for advocating for their park vs a copy/ paste from another? Have you noticed how much the stock price is down? Are investors unhappy with the direction? I watched about half of the investment day video, and besides horrible audio, it looked like a dumpster fire to me.

If I had any position in this company, I would be making a back up plan. How stable are these park level social media positions? How stable are the executive chef positions? Logic would dictate very stable as food is seen as a key metric for future growth. Will they say " hey Chef Major can handle everything east of the Mississippi River, and Chef X can handle anything west if it. On the park manager position...if that person knows the market very well, but the regional person doesn't, would they be targeted for advocating for their park vs a copy/ paste from another? Have you noticed how much the stock price is down? Are investors unhappy with the direction? I watched about half of the investment day video, and besides horrible audio, it looked like a dumpster fire to me.

It was placed there, but in recent times, they put The Beast canyon cold drinks sign back up. Has it been switched back?

Why is The Royal Fountain off this morning? Is this another budget cuts?