KIghostguy

Here are some updates from yesterday: Bamboo railings going up for Cargo Loco's entrance/queue. Also the water tower seen in the concept art in the queue has begun construction. Additional bamboo has been installed for Sol Spin's queue/entrance. Something worth noting is that speakers have been added to almost all the light posts across Adventure Port. You can see them if you zoom in on the below picture. Hopefully for an IMAScore soundtrack?? Or unthemed pop/jazz music. Not much in-between at Kings Island these days! Rockwork(?) in front of Sol Spin for a sign(?). Last week it was just a wire frame. There is a new, painted Mercado sign that was added to the building. The painted Enrique's sign has been added to the front facade. I think this sign looks really, really good. Hopefully they're able to stick a fake window on there like in the concept art but I'm just not sure how it would fit given the size/location of the sign. Additional painted detail work has been added to the Coca-Cola Freestyle building compared to last week. Who knows when it's going to open...but I would say that it's certainly encouraging to see that when it does, it will be detailed and high-quality, based on the progress I've seen so far!

I ate at Grain and Grill yesterday. Here is my review! Entree: I got the beef option, which I thought was very good, if a little dry. My friend got the pork and I sampled a bit of his. I thought this was very good as well. Portion size was very small, though. I don't think either of these compared to the incredible crispy hoisin pork that I had at Kings Dominion last year. I enjoy that KI and KD's Grain and Grills have different menus, but something with a similar texture/flavor to that crispy hoisin pork would be very much enjoyed at Kings Island. The sauce selection to pair with your entree was great. I don't recall Kings Dominion having that option. Side: I got the pierogis, which I thought were just okay. I tried my friend's potatoes, which were excellent, probably the best side I have had at a Kings Island meal. I thought the wide selection and variety of sides were fantastic. There is a much larger selection than at Kings Dominion. Bread: I liked that there were three different bread options. I got the artisan bread and my friend got the focaccia. The artisan bread was fine, it was basically just a baguette you could get from the supermarket. The focaccia bread is definitely where it's at, though! Interior: This might actually be my favorite part of Grain and Grill overall. The interior of Grain and Grill is beautiful, and very much an improvement over what it was when it was Skyline. The tile on the floor, the tables and chairs, the wallpaper and colors, everything compliments each other very nicely and it feels elegant and mature. There are some nice decor touches, including a vintage Kings Island plate. One thing that did stick out to me was that there is a sign at both parks talking about how Grain and Grill sources their products from local farms. KD lists the exact farms on the sign, KI does not. I thought this was a bit strange. It's worth nothing that Kings Dominion's Grain and Grill doesn't have indoor seating, so this is a nice bonus for Kings Island. However, at Kings Dominion you can listen to appropriately themed music while you eat on their International Street while at Kings Island you are stuck listening to the stupid, random jazz music. So bonus points to Kings Dominion! Value: I personally feel like the portion sizes might be too small for the price point. I was still hungry after my meal, while I was full after eating at Kings Dominion. I personally would rather "regularly" eat at Coney Bar-B-Que or Brewhouse before Grain and Grill because I just feel like there is more bang for your buck there as far as price vs. portion size. I feel like this is definitely more of a "meal plan" type of restaurant, if that makes sense. Final thoughts: Overall, I would give the edge to Grain and Grill at Kings Dominion. But that being said, I still would say that I had an overall quality meal at Kings Island. It's a good, different option from anything we've had at Kings Island previously. Any way you slice it, this is a massive improvement in literally every single way from when Skyline occupied the space. Good job Kings Island!

Pipeline Paradise, Soak City's flowrider, will be removed. https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10210021652254160&set=gm.1981204652212642&idorvanity=250076451992146

New TikTok: Only notable thing I can tell from last weekend is that the Enrique's sign is being painted onto the building.

Love to see this. I remember in December of 2019 being told that we were getting a new marquee sign. I was so excited, because all I could think of was when Kings Dominion got their new marquee sign and it was their vintage logo. I walked into my training session in June of 2020 and saw the construction workers installing the new sign. I ran over, so excited....only to see it was exactly the same as the old one. The only difference is that the new one is lit internally. Talk about disappointing! Bring back the vintage logo!!

I was at the park today and got to see Adventure Port in person for the first time. I can't wait to see the finished product; here are some photos and updates from today. Some new decor elements are viewable from Racer's queue Not much appears to be different with Cargo Loco compared to pictures from last week, other than the aforementioned (very nice) sign. Sol Spin's queue is coming along, it is being surrounded with what appears to be bamboo. The rockwork at Adventure Express's entrance plaza is progressing. The Mercado has a new temporary sign. I also want to shout out the new bar that was installed, it has very pretty tile work. There's a new faux window above it. Multicolored umbrellas for the tables in front of Enrique's and on the Mercado patio. They have begun "aging" the Enrique's facade. The Coca-Cola building has its sign back and it looks like the "aging" detail work on it is finished.

Rode it today. Very smooth and nice to see that the track is almost done being painted. Great job Gravity Group! Also, I was ecstatic to see that the back structure was also finally painted this offseason!

Tom and Chee opened today.

They converted one section of the ride so it can give a smoother experience. Most of Boulder Dash is still wooden, so it’s still a wooden coaster. The problem is…?

In my opinion, there would be less blowback if this was advertised as a preview weekend instead of opening day. Advertising something as opening day sets the expectations that most or all major off-season projects are completed. Advertising it as a preview weekend(s) would better keep guests' expectations in-check for this year.

Fantastic shows, fantastic that they are returning!

The colored concrete is nice, the planters being made out of stone instead of bricks like they were before is a nice upgrade. The Coke Refresh actually fits into the area around it, yay! That being said, as has already been mentioned, it's surprising and disappointing that it's not finished. But this is something happening with all of Cedar Fair this year, it's not like we're alone. Zambezi Zinger at Worlds of Fun is still in the middle of being built, two of the rides for Aeronautica Landing at Carowinds are delayed another month(?), and while nothing official has been said, based on dr*ne footage from yesterday, there is still a long ways to go on Cedar Point's Boardwalk. I think the more unusual thing with Kings Island is how NOTHING is ready for opening day this year. Carowinds was at least able to open three of their five new rides on time, plus their new Terminal A restaurant. And Worlds of Fun had practically the entire park repainted over the off-season. They planted tropical palms in Jungle X-Pedition at Kings Dominion last year. As Adventure Port is still under construction, I'm hopeful they are able to plant some at Kings Island as well.

Reese's Cupfusion might be the worst dark ride I have ever ridden. It's pretty much all video screens and anything physical is two-dimensional. There's no dimensionality at all to any of the set pieces. No real animatronics. I rode it last year when I worked at Hersheypark and was not impressed whatsoever. I sure hope any new dark ride wouldn't be like that one.

Everything you wrote is great but this....WHY!!! I hope this is temporary. We had fine, mostly theme-appropriate music on International Street 2017-19. And Kings Dominion currently plays a wonderful loop on theirs. I struggle to understand why we cannot go back to what we had '17 through '19, or what Kings Dominion currently has. The jazz music would be great if it was New Orleans Square, which it's not. It's International Street.

The snakeskin background on the sign is great.

For anyone curious about our sister parks and their 2023 additions/changes... Carowinds opened Aeronautica Landing last Thursday. I think it looks really nice! The Trabant and WindstarZ are delayed until "later this spring." Good photos and information here: https://www.coaster101.com/2023/04/06/aeronautica-landing-officially-opens-at-carowinds/ Worlds of Fun had an extremely rough opening day on Saturday. Zambezi Zinger is delayed until "later this spring," but in the meantime the park has been almost completely repainted. The lands are re-emphasized, there are new ride signs, and there's a lot of new hand-painted mural work. I don't believe they're finished, but these photo albums have good photos of the progress so far here, here, and here.

It was advertised as a new ride for 1986.

The current Dodgem is in a different location with different cars than in 1972. Dodgem at Kings Island is a 1986 ride, no matter how much the park likes to say it's an opening day attraction. By that same logic, Kings Mills Antique Autos is also an opening day ride.

Fantastic news! I ate at Grain and Grill at Kings Dominion last year and it was fabulous! Can’t wait to try it at Kings Island. And I’m so happy to see that they are keeping the painted flowers.

He was promoted last year to the Regional Chef position. He’s still based out of Kings Island, but he’s also overseeing several other parks.

Can't wait for the season to begin! I wonder when the park is going to announce the Skyline replacement on International Street. They announced Miami River Brewhouse on March 14 and Coney Bar-B-Que on March 27. Based on those dates, I assume they are going to be announcing it soon!

Looks great. Love the detail work. Now, let’s bring back the vintage logo on the front of each log! That would be a great finishing touch.

Tom and Chee's new location is now listed on the website: https://www.visitkingsisland.com/dining/tom-chee And Skyline now lists only Coney Mall: https://www.visitkingsisland.com/dining/skyline-chili

I remember when that sign was added in 2017, and it shocked me that it lasted that long! Until last year.

Ironically, the company that designed Bubba Gump’s is JRA, the same company working on Adventure Port. So this is the second time they have redesigned that building!