What was/is the best decade to visit Kings Island?

[CorkscrewMcPuke]

In your own personal opinions, which decade offered the best ride lineup and overall experience at the park? We've seen many changes of management over the past 50 years, and have also gained and lost many precious attractions. This is completely subjective.

 

[McSalsa]

I voted "now" based on all the 2010s stuff stacking (aka still being around) while we still get new rides like Orion as well as the recent re-tracking of Racer and Beast (as well as the repaint of Racer). Kings Island has generally been building upwards- stuff is added faster than stuff gets removed, so naturally the park will have more to offer in a later year. But, if we are voting based on what was added that decade alone (and not counting older stuff that was still around- for example a TON of the 1970s stuff was still around in the 1980s) I would say the 1970s win due to having 2 of the most influential roller coasters of all time being built that decade- The Racer and Beast- as well as the park having very consistent theming and appearance back then (the park was- based on photos I have seen- very clean and pretty and none of the attractions felt out of place theme-wise). The late 80's (mainly around 1987) also seems like it was a great time for the park but I can't vote for it as I was not even born until 1990.

PS: That logo is very cool, only 1 minor flaw- White Water Canyon is missing from the 80's attractions, those River Rapids rides were a HUGE deal in that time period and thus I would count it as a "major" addition- especially if Congo Falls counts as one.

[CorkscrewMcPuke]

11 minutes ago, McSalsa said:

PS: That logo is very cool, only 1 minor flaw- White Water Canyon is missing from the 80's attractions, those River Rapids rides were a HUGE deal in that time period and thus I would count it as a "major" addition- especially if Congo Falls counts as one.

I knew I was forgetting something.

[SonofBaconator]

A few notes, you’re missing the kids area expansion which helped us win the Golden Ticket Awards for nearly 2 decades. Also WWC, Dinosaurs Alive, Phantom Theater and other large investments.

Also I think you should remove the Biden sticker from the image- bringing politics into this doesn’t help further discussion and creates unnecessary arguments that don’t need to happen- no matter what side of the political spectrum you’re on.

[CorkscrewMcPuke]

6 hours ago, SonofBaconator said:

A few notes, you’re missing the kids area expansion which helped us win the Golden Ticket Awards for nearly 2 decades. Also WWC, Dinosaurs Alive, Phantom Theater and other large investments.

Also I think you should remove the Biden sticker from the image- bringing politics into this doesn’t help further discussion and creates unnecessary arguments that don’t need to happen- no matter what side of the political spectrum you’re on.

I was a bit limited on space and I really only wanted to put the big attractions in here. And as far as the Biden sticker goes, it was meant to be taken as a lighthearted joke for filler considering we haven't had much time to get anything beyond Orion this decade. I am not a politically minded person and I do not vote. Those stickers are just plastered on literally everything if you live in the Midwest like I do. My apologies that it was taken the wrong way.

[SonofBaconator]

6 hours ago, CorkscrewMcPuke said:

My apologies that it was taken the wrong way.

It doesn’t offend me, I get the joke-I just know the internet and putting anything involving a political figure will always stir up something somewhere 

[CorkscrewMcPuke]

9 minutes ago, SonofBaconator said:

It doesn’t offend me, I get the joke-I just know the internet and putting anything involving a political figure will always stir up something somewhere 

The people I've met on here seem pretty chill for the most part, but I see where you are coming from.

[purdude86]

I'm kind of torn between two options. 90's (late 90's/early 00's really) as this was when I grew up going there so have the nostalgia and think it had some great things at the time. Phantom Theater was and still is one of my favorite attractions from there, still had the original antique cars with the great landscaping there, rides felt more secluded and wooded still (love the new additions but do miss the seclusion that the bigger newer rides have encroached on too) Adventure Express, WWC, and Beast all felt very cut off from the rest of the park and like you were out in the woods by yourself. Love WWC's queue path as well as it almost felt like going hiking for a bit when the line was short. KCKC there for a large flume was fun, and when Tomb Raider first opened in 2002 I loved it as well with it's amazing theming. But then end of that summer when they closed Phantom Theater it started to lose charm.

That all said I do love the direction they are going in and agree with what McSalsa was saying. Cedar Fair is making lots of great additions at a great pace, and while not extremely detailed do seem to be pushing with theming and story more. Banshee had some good light theming around the queue and station and Mystic Timber is great. Orion has the queue hangar too, and are bringing back more of the charm with the return of Antique Autos and celebrating the park's history.

I voted 90s but it could really go either way.

[DJSkyFoxx]

I went for the very first time in the early 90's and have vague memories. But for me personally its the 2000's as that's when I caught the coaster bug. My first visit as a teenager in 2003 with my mom is what did it for me and I haven't looked back since. The look of the park, the rides and the overall energy the park had during those years will forever hold something special to me in my heart and mind. 

[Oldschool75]

Figuring 98% of the voters here were probably not even alive in the 1970's it explains the skew in results. LOL

[johnjniehaus]

I voted for the current day because I do feel like Cedar Fair made pretty solid additions. If I could travel back to a year of Kings Island park history and visit the park it would be 1983 or 2000. If traveling to 1983, I would be able to ride the original Bat, Screamin Demon, Zodiac, Enchanted Voyage, Safari, Der Spinnen Keggers... If traveling to 2000 it would be son of The Beast, king Cobra, action theater, backwards racer, phantom theater...

 

I personally think that the 1980s was a great era for the park. The Bat while short-lived and problematic was very bold addition, viking fury is probably the best swinging ship ride I've ridden, backwards racer (I never rode it) according to my family was great, king Cobra was first standup on US soil, Vortex stood solid for 30+ years, white water canyon was huge too! 

The 1990s are mixed to me. For example Adventure Express is the second to last arrow mine train built and Top Gun was the final Arrow Suspended Coaster installed. Obviously those rides are great and are still operating and if The Bat (aka Top Gun) closed next year it would be dearly missed but like Vortex it's done it's time and paid it's debt to the park. Invertigo/Face Off has aged rather poorly and seems irrelevant now that Banshee is right across the street. In my opinion the 2 revolutionary additions in the 90s were Flight of Fear/Outer Limits and Drop Tower (which remains the world's tallest gyro drop). Other 90s attractions such as Phantom Theater, Action Theater, and flight commander didn't stand the test of time. The 90s also saw the closure of the Wild Animal Safari, Der Spinnen Keggers, flying Dutchman, Skylab, the Ferris wheel, enchanted voyage, and the giant slide. 

 

However to truly answer the question, I think whatever decade your teenage years and young adult years are/were is the best decade at Kings Island. My grandma will of course say how she loved the park in the 1970s and how she misses the fresh made bread and the Skyride and the enchanted voyage and the safari....my dad will say 1990s because he remembers waiting for Top Gun and Flight of Fear during their opening years and how different and "great" those coasters were to him. He will also always say how much he misses Action Theater/Days of Thunder, Flying Eagles, and King Cobra. I am a vote for our current decade because I love all the additions I've seen in my teen/young adult years.