Kings Island Announces Adventure Port for 2023

[Orion742]

2 hours ago, Imperial79 said:

Here is the new entrance to Adventure Express, I wonder why they depict guests going in 2 separate ways. 

One of them is probably Fastlane.

[CoastersRZ]

I am just glad that KI announced this on their own day, and didn`t make the announcement on the same day as most of the other CF park announcements.  

I was under the assumption that the entrance on the left was for Sol Loco and the one on the right for Adventure Express.

I think for next year`s Winterfest, it would appear that Cargo Loco could maybe be another ride open for Winterfest.

[KI Guy]

55 minutes ago, KIghostguy said:

I’m surprised they didn’t do some sort of in-person announcement. They’ve done announcement events for more minor additions, and this would have been very well-received in-person.

Not all this relates to your post directly, but I will say I like the way they did it. Reserving hype and pomp for the biggest additions means people take you seriously at those events.

How much better is this surprise announcement as opposed to the ultra-hyped "shed"?  They overdelivered relative to expectations here which is a lost art in the social media age.

Many people know what is marketing over-hype (the shed) and what has substance (the great coaster itself). Those who don't often end up disappointed.

[KIEagle33]

I'm really happy about all this, but I kind of wish Soak City got something. I know most folks on this site are probably just into the dry-side of the park, but as a local I find myself visiting the water park a lot.

 

[Hawaiian Coasters 325]

2 minutes ago, KIEagle33 said:

I'm really happy about all this, but I kind of wish Soak City got something. I know most folks on this site are probably just into the dry-side of the park, but as a local I find myself visiting the water park a lot.

 

I have a strange feeling that's for 2024 if 24 isn't a coaster year. In the past, we've gotten waterpark stuff in leap years (2004, 2012, and 2016). Exceptions were 2008 (paramount theming to CF theming transition year) and 2020 (Orion).

[rhit2004]

(Now that I have kids) this addition is very exciting to me.  It provides more things (esp. the spinning barrels) I can ride with my kids. 

I hope they take the Adventure Express refurb/theming seriously and really make the ride immersive.  A cheap or half-hearted new paint job on existing theming will be a disappointment.  I would like to see an expansion and modernization of what they were able to afford when the ride opened and not just repair and repainting of the current/original theming.

[WoodVengeance]

2 hours ago, Bansheelover said:

The new themed areas of Cedar Point, Kings Island, Carowinds, and Knotts Berry Farm for 2023! 

Big Zamperla year for Cedar Fair

[MDMC01]

5 hours ago, DoomPlague said:

3 is the Freestyle. Maybe it will now have the real-sugar Coke that they have in much of latin america.

Funny how the basketball game appears in the art.

I noticed that to when seeing all the pictures on the other thread.

Speaking of which, the concept art looks awesome (I hope they have all those rainforest-esque trees throughout the area!) and I'm very excited for the return of Adventure Village (sort of) in the form of Adventure Port!

[BoddaH1994]

4 hours ago, brenthodge said:

Cool to see them all together-we definitely got the weakest of the three, but since this is more of a “retheme” of existing assets and a couple of adds, I’d expect that. Bodes well for the future. Main complaint is that of the three, ours has pretty much nothing to do with local culture or history. I guess it’s more tying into park history, but I love that the others feel very indigenous to the locations they are in. 

I think this is more in line with what they did for Jungle X at Dominion. They didn’t have a local tie in, but it told a story, as does this. 

[brenthodge]

Disappointed they are already planning on the fountain breaking and being turned into a planter LOL. The park REALLY needs the kinetic energy of water features - how hard is a tiered fountain to make work?

This area is EXACTLY what I thought for a while would be the easiest way to make some logical sense out of the theming of the area. Wish there was something more compelling than airbrushed t shirts for the main retail location in this new area - could we not have something more interesting? If you really look att he concept art, there are really minimal changes here - mostly all cosmetic. Maybe a few infrastructure here and there related to the new rides, but basically this looks like a cleaning up of the area and installation of permanent carnival country area decor. Look forward to seeing the actual execution and in-person in that the misty, foggy atmosphere they keep showing certainly adds to the feel of the concept art, but as HAUNT has shown us - they don't do foggy areas any more LOL

 

 

[brenthodge]

22 minutes ago, BoddaH1994 said:

I think this is more in line with what they did for Jungle X at Dominion. They didn’t have a local tie in, but it told a story, as does this. 

True - and in both parks it ties into a PARK story (Lion Country/Adventure Village) so I guess it does have some organic tie-in

[Rivertown Rider]

A few additional thoughts:

Even though Cedar Fair did go on a Zamperla shopping spree it is nice that the parks got different Zamperla rides.  This gives more of a reason to ride those when I go to Carowinds.  I am extremely happy with the two we got as capacity should be pretty good and they fit in well as spiritual successors to rides that were in that general vicinity in their previous incarnations.  As others have said these rides will be there for generations.

I do think the next area to get rethemed will be Action Zone and I think the whole area of AZ will become part of the remaining Oktoberfest.  If O'Rourke starts tearing down the SOB station and Timberwolf things will get very interesting.  I just hope they reroute The Bat queue closer to the midway.  This has the feeling of the Antiques before Orion.  Action Zone needs some love and a retheme.

My thoughts on some of the companies being the same is that I have wondered if the park planned on tearing down the SOB station and/ or Timberwolf back in 2020 but paused due to the pandemic.

[CorkscrewMcPuke]

Words cannot 'Express' how perfect this concept is. I didn't exactly weep over the death of Slingshot either.

[KI Guy]

21 hours ago, Rivertown Rider said:

I do think the next area to get rethemed will be Action Zone and I think the whole area of AZ will become part of the remaining Oktoberfest ... This has the feeling of the Antiques before Orion.

I hope you're exactly right. I think the big question is which happens first The Vortex plot or AZ.

Invertigo, Congo Falls, and The Bat, all could be nearing the end given age and ridership. All those things will need replacements at some point. With that considered the AZ revamp/retheme seems more pressing.

I think Invertigo could be replaced by a flat ride or two without complaint. The Bat would probably need a large coaster to take its place and if Congo is to be replaced I wouldn't mind some type of new water ride. If it happens, I could see this being a two year project like the 1999-2000 expansion.

[Driver8rws]

Wow. Totally "backwards" (upside down?) direction on this one in my opinion.

As dilapidated as Adventure Express has become on theming, would it really have been that hard to re theme it to some German/Black Forest idea, simply change the burrito place's food, and revamp/reincorporate this area as "Oktoberfest"?? 

I mean they are even putting the spinning beer barrel ride back in for God's sake!!  Hello! 

What a missed opportunity rather than creating a completely NEW area.

I feel like someone in Sandusky (or California?) came up with this idea and had no concern for what is already right there... Just silly.

I'm glad they're doing SOMETHING, just such as ass-backward decision on how to do it.

[KIghostguy]

19 minutes ago, Driver8rws said:

Wow. Totally "backwards" (upside down?) direction on this one in my opinion.

As dilapidated as Adventure Express has become on theming, would it really have been that hard to re theme it to some German idea, change the burrito place's food, and revamp/reincorporate this area as "Oktoberfest"?? 

I mean they are even putting the spinning beer barrel ride back in for God's sake!!  Hello! 

What a missed opportunity rather than creating a completely NEW area.

I feel like someone in Sandusky (or California?) came up with this idea and had no concern for what is already right there... Just silly.

I'm glad they're doing SOMETHING, just such as ass-backward decision on how to do it.

I understand where you're coming from, and I had some hesitation initially as well. But I think Adventure Express is a fun, great theme and a classic Kings Island experience. It's cool to see it expanded into a whole land.  The Festhaus and Emporium are remaining, so there will still be German theming left at Kings Island! 

[IndyGuy4KI]

You have 24 hrs from this post to cast your vote!

 

 

 

[BlondyRidesOn]

Here are my thoughts on today's announcement:

From the renderings, the park is really breathing life into this area if the park. The current state it's in looks very bland and needs an identity. The colorful decorations and paint jobs will really liven up that pathway. Knowing how popular Hank's is, along with it's close proximity to the Aztec themed Adventure Express, it makes sense that they are making a new section themed around both of those. The Mercado and Enrique's both look fantastic, and it's cool to see the old windows from Der Alte Deutsche Bier Garten / Oktoberfest Gardens making a comeback as they were once covered up by the corrugated metal siding when they added Bubba Gump Shrimp Shack in 2003 (Also a product of Jack Rouse Associates).

The two new flat rides are going to be great additions to the park's line up. They both look to be throwbacks to old attractions in Skylab and Der Spinnen Keggers. I know how often it had been discussed on here that they should bring back the Keggers in particular, and Cargo Loco seems to be a more modern incarnation of it. I will also agree that it's ironic that Keggers is making a comeback to that area minus the German theming it and that section of the park once had.

That being said, I hope what Oldschool75 said about the Festhaus and Viking Fury area is accurate and that Oktoberfest will still be a section of Kings Island. Cincinnati has such deep German roots, so it would be a shame to see it leave entirely. The park sells German style food at several locations, most notably at Meteor Canteen with the bratwurst and Italian sausage sandwiches with sauerkraut and peppers. I had the bratwurst there and loved it (of course I am biased because I love German food). I think the main concern is popularity and what sells. I would really like to see what's left of the German theming in Oktoberfest be expanded a bit, but that might be wishful thinking.

Overall, Adventure Port looks amazing. I'm very glad they're doing this because that part of the park needed some life. I have always been an advocate for Kings Island going back down the route of immersive theming in each area and this addition really helps round the park out nicely!

[Oldschool75]

9 hours ago, IndyGuy4KI said:

 

Not according to the press release I just received 30 minutes ago.

 

 

 

7 hours ago, Orion742 said:

One of them is probably Fastlane.

 

The left one is to Sol Spin as the queue for it and the new queue for AE are back to back to each other. 

[Oldiesmann]

I think this is a great addition to the park though I am surprised KI waited this long to announce it. Should be fun to see if the lines for Adventure Express get longer next season considering it usually has one of the shortest lines of all the coasters in the park.

[brenthodge]

1 hour ago, Driver8rws said:

Wow. Totally "backwards" (upside down?) direction on this one in my opinion.

As dilapidated as Adventure Express has become on theming, would it really have been that hard to re theme it to some German/Black Forest idea, simply change the burrito place's food, and revamp/reincorporate this area as "Oktoberfest"?? 

I mean they are even putting the spinning beer barrel ride back in for God's sake!!  Hello! 

What a missed opportunity rather than creating a completely NEW area.

I feel like someone in Sandusky (or California?) came up with this idea and had no concern for what is already right there... Just silly.

I'm glad they're doing SOMETHING, just such as ass-backward decision on how to do it.

I do agree it’s a lot of work to NOT use the most obvious theme that is already there. 

[SonofBaconator]

48 minutes ago, BlondyRidesOn said:

That being said, I hope what Oldschool75 said about the Festhaus and Viking Fury area is accurate and that Oktoberfest will still be a section of Kings Island. Cincinnati has such deep German roots, so it would be a shame to see it leave entirely.

I’m honestly fine with it being absorbed into International Street. If you want to get technical, International Street branches off to KI Theater, Boo Blasters, Tower Gardens, and the Carousel so I wouldn’t think it would be a stretch to include a Scandinavian swinging boat ride and a German themed dining hall into that mix with the internationally themed buildings. In fact, I argue tying Feathaus and Viking Fury into International Street fits better

[Hawaiian Coasters 325]

Honestly, I don't think the park is done with announcing things. I honestly think we'll see more food options/restaurant upgrades next year. That's the kind of stuff they usually announce over the off-season. I think this would be a great opportunity to redo Festhaus and add German food (think BGW's Festhaus). I don't think LaRosas or Panda Express belong in a German cafeteria. There are already 2 other LaRosas in the park and KD removed their Panda Express for Grain and Grill and I believe Carowinds is removing their Panda Express for Hugos so I think we eventually see Panda Express leave. Also, if you redo Festhaus, at least make the side facing Action Zone look better so it doesn't look like a metal polebarn. Also, I wouldn't be shocked if we see Subway get replaced with some kind of Hot Dog stand like CP did. Not to mention I'm hoping we see some kind of food/wine/brew/bbq festival in the spring. There's also hoping for Diamondback to be painted. I'm also hoping we see more pavers in other areas. The area under and around the Eiffel Tower plus Rivertown come to mind when it comes to adding pavers. There's just so much that I hope happens and lets continue speculating as I think we'll continue to see more surprise announcements over the off-season. 

[johnjniehaus]

Ok so my thoughts - 

1. I'm shocked it was actually a good announcement..why did they wait so long? Who knows but good just the same

2. Why not just keep it Octoberfest? Adventure Express could have gotten a retheme to fit the area. However, the new area seems interesting and unique. I'm excited about the storyline they create for it other than this is the unofficial Indiana Jones Temple of Doom Mine Chase Coaster in the middle of a German Festival. 

3. Adventure Express updates/enhancements is very exciting to me and indicates this ride will be around for many more years! Long live Arrow Dynamics! I would like to see additional theming in some of the tunnels. The final tunel is the best if all the guys are working..... almost never happens. Second tunel has gotten a little empty over the years - what happened to that huge snake with the skeleton? The first tunnel is so dark it's hard to tell what is in there. The third tunel is the empty one you go flying through. Idk what should be in there but I'm sure they will do a good job. 

4. Nice flat rides though I must complain for a minute that all the replacement rides for former rides frankly aren't the same as the originals. Example - Flying Eagles VS Woodstock Gliders, The twin Antique Car tracks (Antique Car/Les Taxis) VS Kings Mills Antique Autos, Skylab VS Sol Spin, & Der Spinnen Keggers VS Cargo Loco. I think most of us agree the original versions are better than the modern equivalents. However, that's not to say that this is not a great addition to the park. I like Zamperla Endeavor rides but I LOVE HUSS ENTERPRISE! Something about no seatbelt in that cage is way better than the Over the Shoulder restraints and open seats. Unfortunately very few HUSS or Schwarzkopf Enterprise rides are left. Long live Scream Weaver at Carowinds! I still curse the day that Cedar Point announced the closure of Witches Wheel. As for Cargo Loco, a good teacups ride has to actually spin the platforms. Some of them are so slow you MUST spin the cups to get any fun because the platforms rotate at a snails pace. For example, mad hatter at Disney World and Lemon Twist at Dollywood were both excruciatingly slow platform rotations. A example of a good tea cups ride is the Tea cups/Craisy Daisy at Knobles. Anyway hopefully this one actually spins at a nice pace. Unfortunately it doesn't have the tilting platform.... however if it actually spins I will still enjoy it. 

4. Am I the only person who hates the names? 

- Like Sol Spin? Any spinning ride with the word Spin in the ride name feels like a lazy title. For example nearly every other Zamperla Endeavor or Huss/Schwarzkopf Enterprise has a WAY cooler name that doesn't utilize the word SPIN. For example - Highland Fling, Scream Weaver, Witches Wheel, Enterprise, Skylab, Catwoman Whip, Scream Extreme, Silver Bullet, Supergirl Skyflyer, Wagon Wheel, etc. I will enjoy this ride but that name is a reflection of the greatest case of laziness I've ever seen on naming a Kings Island ride. 

- Cargo Loco is a decent name but Der Spinnen Keggers was way better (pardon me if I misspelled DSK)

- Adventure Port is ok but kinda generic. Like how about you create a name of this mystical land or country we have come to visit? Adventure Port isn't a place it's an entry point. It's just an ok name that fits in perfectly with the lame vibe of Sol Spin. 

 

5. You obviously can't tell from the concept art but I'm praying that this area gets some lights packages on the rides. For example, Sol Spin is supposed to be an ancient sun disk so what if it had yellow/white lights that did a chase sequence or something? Cargo Loco might be a bit lacking for nighttime lights but it could be like the dogem and have projection lights that change colors as the ride rotates. Adventure Express use to have a ton of green and red projection type lights along the track but now it's mostly dark. I would like to see those return. Adventure Port doesn't need as much bling lighting packages like Coney Mall or International Street but I don't want to see another dark boring stretch like Rivertown and Action Zone. 

 

well that's my thoughts! 

 

 

[purdude86]

9 hours ago, brenthodge said:

I do agree it’s a lot of work to NOT use the most obvious theme that is already there. 

For the area they are retheming though this was the obvious theme that was already there. This area doesn't include Festhaus or Viking Fury, so take those out and you had the Biergarten (generic patio/bar area with the most minimal German theme, msotly flags), Hank's (mexican restaurant that is staying as is) and Adventure Express (jungle/ruins themes mine train that is staying mostly as is). So really it would have required more work to change the space into German/Oktoberfest theme than this one. Ay new additions would be the same effort regardless of theme, but Hank's/Biergarted to Enrique's/Mercado is mainly just a paint job, and Adventure Express already fits. To go to Adventure Express would have required some building transformation of Hank's and a lot of retheming work on Adventure Express. 

That said I was hoping myself for the Oktoberfest redo and a change of those areas to that theme as well, but I do think this looks great and is still a bit of a call back to KI history with Adventure Village.

[DoomPlague]

My earliest memories of Oktoberfest (in the 80s) don't even really include this area really. There was always Festhaus and Viking Fury (which doesn't actually fit the theme) and those are remaining. I have a much bigger attachment to Adventure Express and I have no interest in seeing that reimagined as some german theme. Oktoberfest was always a bit of an awkward theme because there are limited ways to use it and it seems out of place compared to the other themes. I get its original purpose and I want to see it remain on some level but this new retheme makes more sense to me. Also, Hank's is one of the two best places to eat in the park. I would rather keep the burritos and retheme it.

From the corporate perspective, I'm guessing this new theme has broader appeal and the similarities with Knott's and KD's newest themes probably helps with costs.

[jbeast]

A new theme to that area of the park and two new flat rides...what's not to like? Even though I probably cant ride either one of them. I cannot, nor ever have been able to tolerate spinning rides. Even though I've tried, but my rides on the Rotor, Scrambler and a tilt-a-whirl in the past taught me and people around me that my equilibrium just doesn't like that spinning motion. Ha!

Being from a predominately German background, It'd be nice to see Oktoberfest expanded someway. But, can't always get what you want. I do like the Dark Forest idea for Action Zone though. There is a ton of potential there.

As someone who's grown up with the park since it's inception, I'm so loving the nods and attention to KI's past recently. It shows people that make the decisions do really care about the park. I've said that, as a kid growing up, the park always had a 'magical' quality back in the late 70's and 80's...current management has certainly brought a lot of that feeling back. I have always been so proud to call KI my home park.

[Shaggy]

33 minutes ago, jbeast said:

As someone who's grown up with the park since it's inception, I'm so loving the nods and attention to KI's past recently. It shows people that make the decisions do really care about the park. I've said that, as a kid growing up, the park always had a 'magical' quality back in the late 70's and 80's...current management has certainly brought a lot of that feeling back. I have always been so proud to call KI my home park.

I have always found it very difficult to put into words the "feel" that KI had in the '70's & '80's.  Its like there needs to be a new word created to encapsulate it all.  The park was, indeed, magical back then.  There was a mystique to it, and excitement, a vibe.  As a kid, just riding down the interstate and seeing the Eiffel Tower in the distance sent hearts racing.  Going there was on the same level as Christmas morning.

That having been said, although they can never replicate that same feel (so much of it had to do with the era, quality of life, and general persona of the public then), I do think that current management has made great strides to bring back certain components that made KI great all those years ago.  It has a much better "vibe" than it did, say, 15 years ago. 

[PKIDelirium]

Oktoberfest outside of the Festhaus/Viking part was dead, and had been for a long time.

While my previous pitches were always for combining Oktoberfest and Action Zone into one large Oktoberfest, the amount of work involved there would be significant and very expensive, and I really like the route they’re taking with this.

Festhaus and VF could easily become either a mini-Oktoberfest with a little sprucing up there, or just become part of IS. Either works for me.

The only thing Oktoberfest that still existed in the new area was the return of the Biergarten, but with Brewhouse now existing in Rivertown, it’s not really a loss.

(Now we’ll wait and see what happens regarding B&M, SkyHigh, Fenton Rigging, Daniels Woodland and other contractors last seen for Orion…)

[rlentless]

Whatever coaster design is chosen it will be an already proven, reliable people eater.  When Terp was still on the forum and Banshee was announced, he felt it some of KI's criteria going forward.  I think by what we have seen that is still true today.