Winterfest 2023 Discussion

[Rivertown Rider]

One of my favorite parts of Winterfest is seeing the love that the flats get this time of year compared to many of them being walk-ons during much of the year.

Cargo Loco and Sol Spin both add a lot of energy to that area of the park.  As has been mentioned by others the area between the Eiffel Tower and Rivertown LaRosas is pretty dead so some more flats in that path would be great.  The Backlot queue could easily be reworked to add some flats.

[BeeastFarmer]

I did get to experience the magic of WinterFest a moment ago... scrolling through the KISP Facebook page, someone posted that Scrooge got to meet his mini me. Attached were several photos of a young boy dressed up like Scrooge, even down to the cane. And it looked like he was matching Scrooge's facial expressions.

Those are some lifetime memories for this family.  That's what the essence of Kings Island is. 

[Orion-XL200]

5 hours ago, Rivertown Rider said:

  As has been mentioned by others the area between the Eiffel Tower and Rivertown LaRosas is pretty dead so some more flats in that path would be great.  The Backlot queue could easily be reworked to add some flats.

That area would be fine if they had the light displays like they did the first year (of the CF Winterfest):

Photo Cred

Photo Cred

The area was juts more visually appealing than a couple random lighted deer, the "giant elf" (though cool, just not in a great spot or adds to the area) and a darkened "parking garage" of BLSC. 

[IndyGuy4KI]

Winterfest Wonderland Parade 

 

[brenthodge]

On 12/23/2023 at 8:10 PM, Orion-XL200 said:

That area would be fine if they had the light displays like they did the first year (of the CF Winterfest):

Photo Cred

Photo Cred

The area was juts more visually appealing than a couple random lighted deer, the "giant elf" (though cool, just not in a great spot or adds to the area) and a darkened "parking garage" of BLSC. 

If they are leaving Everest there, they need to bring over all the elf stuff that’s just lost in coney and along with the ( why are they there?) outhouses, Santa plane, elf house and some other giant toy type props make it like a North Pole elf village. There’s a food location that if lit well and given proper food-beverage options could be a fun addition. The base is there for another big tree-the footers for light trusses for lighting it up and even some overhead lighting. It’s not a hard “fix” as most of the infrastructure and props all exist, they just need to reallocate stuff to give this area a purpose. 

[Orion-XL200]

15 hours ago, brenthodge said:

If they are leaving Everest there, they need to bring over all the elf stuff that’s just lost in coney and along with the ( why are they there?) outhouses, Santa plane, elf house and some other giant toy type props make it like a North Pole elf village. There’s a good location that if lit well and given proper good options could be a fun addition. The base is there for another big tree-the footers for light trusses for lighting it up and even sone overhead lighting. It’s not a hard “fix” most of the infrastructure and props all exist, they just need to reallocate stuff to give this area a purpose. 

100% agreed with you! 

[DJSkyFoxx]

So NYE at the park...how busy do you al think it will be? The weather looks to be amicable at this time ( which of course is always subject to change being in the Midwest ). I've never done NYE at the park for one reason or another so I was just curious how it has played out in the past. I do remember hearing that the rides shut down promptly at 10PM. 

[BoddaH1994]

1 hour ago, DJSkyFoxx said:

So NYE at the park...how busy do you al think it will be? The weather looks to be amicable at this time ( which of course is always subject to change being in the Midwest ). I've never done NYE at the park for one reason or another so I was just curious how it has played out in the past. I do remember hearing that the rides shut down promptly at 10PM. 

Regardless of the crowds, I would recommend it. NYE has a special energy to it. One of my favorite nights of the year at KI!

Honestly not trying to turn this into a selfish plug, but we did a Tower Topics about NYE that goes over a lot of what goes on:

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tower-topics/id1698426928?i=1000637919029

Spotify: 

 

 

[brenthodge]

5 hours ago, DJSkyFoxx said:

So NYE at the park...how busy do you al think it will be? The weather looks to be amicable at this time ( which of course is always subject to change being in the Midwest ). I've never done NYE at the park for one reason or another so I was just curious how it has played out in the past. I do remember hearing that the rides shut down promptly at 10PM. 

I believe last year the queues stayed open on many till about 10:30 to accommodate the crowds. They have some wiggle room. They just have to be cycled down and fully shut off with keys out by 12:01 am 1/1/2024

[DJSkyFoxx]

I just hope the weather stays amicable! Obviously dressing warm would still be important, but it doesn't appear to be terrible temp wise. Another round of the Mystic Timbers Oreo hot chocolate will be a must!

[Orion-XL200]

I'm planning on going tomorrow night, hoping for light(ish) crowds (haha). This will only be my 2nd visit to this year's event. Hoping to enjoy myself a bit more than opening night.

[Orion-XL200]

What looked like it was going to be an insanely busy night last night at the park, I was shocked it wasn't terrible crowd wise. 

First thing once in the park, was a ride on Flight of Cheer....I hadn't been on it since August and we sat in the 3rd row. Leg room was extremely tight, but I was able to get buckled in. The ride experience itself was actually really good. It was the smoothest that I remember it being but probably because of location in the train. Of course, they were only operating 1 train, so I'm glad we did it before the line could get long. 

Afterwards we grabbed dinner at Coney BBQ....turkey with gravy (I had no idea they added gravy) and corn soufflé, both were yummy! The rest of the night we pretty much just spent it walking around checking out the lights,. We rode the Holly Jolly Trolley and it was a fun little experience for as simple it was, thankfully we had Scrooge onboard entertaining us with his condemnation of the guests in the way of the trolley, "we will run you over." We grabbed a ride on the train as well and oh lord....the fact that the 12 days of Christmas song ended around light display 6 and 7ish....was kinda funny to me. It was a great ride overall. Mystic Timbers gave a great ride. We did the single rider line and rode separately, though we did get on the same train.  I was paired with a kid in the front row and he was not happy sharing that "I wanted to ride alone," as I had already sat down and the gates were closed. He was fine after the ride op told him I was supposed to ride. The ride was a great one though. In a way, In a way I almost prefer 2 train ops on Mystic because the wait in the shed is a little less (it makes me feel claustrophobic). 

We kind of just walked around the rest of the night, with a stop in Action Zone for tubing during the parade, minimal wait was nice! I had to crack up because I kept hearing the ride op phone at Drop Tower ringing and ringing and ringing. Once we completed that, it was almost time to decide on food for the 2nd meal. I wasn't really in the mood for anything specific but we wanted to make sure our last meal plan of the season was worth the redemption. We started at the Mac n Cheese Bar...after standing in line for about 5-10 minutes because 2 women in front of us weren't sure what to get, I looked at the options and the didn't seem appetizing so we bailed. Ended up at Grain and Grille....I didn't want anything there but pierogis so that's what I ended up with. 3 sides of pierogis, aka 9 total. They were yummy and filled my stomach for the rest of the night. 

We walked through the shops and there just was nothing that I had to have...merch kinda recycled from the main season and/or stuff I already had. Prices on some things were reasonable while other things I would never pay. 

The end of the night came and I can say that I enjoyed myself this time around. The only 2 things I wish would have improved was the food options and the merch options. 

[robintodd]

16 hours ago, Orion-XL200 said:

What looked like it was going to be an insanely busy night last night at the park, I was shocked it wasn't terrible crowd wise. 

First thing once in the park, was a ride on Flight of Cheer....I hadn't been on it since August and we sat in the 3rd row. Leg room was extremely tight, but I was able to get buckled in. The ride experience itself was actually really good. It was the smoothest that I remember it being but probably because of location in the train. Of course, they were only operating 1 train, so I'm glad we did it before the line could get long. 

Afterwards we grabbed dinner at Coney BBQ....turkey with gravy (I had no idea they added gravy) and corn soufflé, both were yummy! The rest of the night we pretty much just spent it walking around checking out the lights,. We rode the Holly Jolly Trolley and it was a fun little experience for as simple it was, thankfully we had Scrooge onboard entertaining us with his condemnation of the guests in the way of the trolley, "we will run you over." We grabbed a ride on the train as well and oh lord....the fact that the 12 days of Christmas song ended around light display 6 and 7ish....was kinda funny to me. It was a great ride overall. Mystic Timbers gave a great ride. We did the single rider line and rode separately, though we did get on the same train.  I was paired with a kid in the front row and he was not happy sharing that "I wanted to ride alone," as I had already sat down and the gates were closed. He was fine after the ride op told him I was supposed to ride. The ride was a great one though. In a way, In a way I almost prefer 2 train ops on Mystic because the wait in the shed is a little less (it makes me feel claustrophobic). 

We kind of just walked around the rest of the night, with a stop in Action Zone for tubing during the parade, minimal wait was nice! I had to crack up because I kept hearing the ride op phone at Drop Tower ringing and ringing and ringing. Once we completed that, it was almost time to decide on food for the 2nd meal. I wasn't really in the mood for anything specific but we wanted to make sure our last meal plan of the season was worth the redemption. We started at the Mac n Cheese Bar...after standing in line for about 5-10 minutes because 2 women in front of us weren't sure what to get, I looked at the options and the didn't seem appetizing so we bailed. Ended up at Grain and Grille....I didn't want anything there but pierogis so that's what I ended up with. 3 sides of pierogis, aka 9 total. They were yummy and filled my stomach for the rest of the night. 

We walked through the shops and there just was nothing that I had to have...merch kinda recycled from the main season and/or stuff I already had. Prices on some things were reasonable while other things I would never pay. 

The end of the night came and I can say that I enjoyed myself this time around. The only 2 things I wish would have improved was the food options and the merch options. 

My favorite offering at Winterfest is the Meatloaf burger at the Brewhouse.  The tangy ketchup and cheese is amazing and it litterally tastes like a meatloaf in burger form.  Went to the park twice this Winterfest just to have it!

[DJSkyFoxx]

Happy New Year KIC! 
 

Thankful I got to spend NYE at the park last night with my lady. It was incredibly cold, but well worth roughing it out. There were definitely a lot of people out last night, but it wasn’t as bad as I was expecting it to be. Got one last ride on Sol Spin. Walked around. Played some arcade games. Had one last Oreo hot chocolate. One last meal on the meal plan for the year. Tried a new dish. Danced. Rode the train. Took lots of pictures. And overall just had a wonderful time closing out the year with my human at our place. Fireworks were lovely, although by then the threshold for the cold to stay the whole display was non-existent. But we did get one good look back from the parking lot. Looking forward to another season of memories. Thanks to all the employees who made this 2023 season an incredible one. 

[Timchat2]

How did we all feel about WinterFest 2023? We still had a wonderful time at the event across the season. The amount of effort from the park on so many fronts from merchandise to entertainment continues to impress despite the cuts.

We were fortunate to have a relatively strong entertainment lineup considering how other WinterFests like California's Great America (with its six-person Cool Yule double-cast with Holly Jolly Trolley) and Kings Dominion (no parade) saw more noticeable trimming.

[Tr0y]

2 hours ago, Timchat2 said:

How did we all feel about WinterFest 2023? We still had a wonderful time at the event across the season. The amount of effort from the park on so many fronts from merchandise to entertainment continues to impress despite the cuts.

We were fortunate to have a relatively strong entertainment lineup considering how other WinterFests like California's Great America (with its six-person Cool Yule double-cast with Holly Jolly Trolley) and Kings Dominion (no parade) saw more noticeable trimming.

I thought KI finished the year strong with Winterfest this season. The Christmas Lights were incredible and were probably the best out of all of the parks I visited with their respective Christmas events. Although I think a lot of people would agree, the coaster lineup for Winterfest leaves much to be desired. 

The food offerings were definitely a step up compared to the offerings during the regular season. My favorite meal offering being The Shepard's Pie. The second thing that came to mind after "Yum!" was "Where has this been all season?!" 

The merchandise has been fantastic and, in my opinion, has been that way for the season. It was nice to see merch make its way from Knotts to the park in time for Winterfest.

 

[Orion-XL200]

6 minutes ago, Tr0y said:

I thought KI finished the year strong with Winterfest this season. The Christmas Lights were incredible and were probably the best out of all of the parks I visited with their respective Christmas events. Although I think a lot of people would agree, the coaster lineup for Winterfest leaves much to be desired. 

The food offerings were definitely a step up compared to the offerings during the regular season. My favorite meal offering being The Shepard's Pie. The second thing that came to mind after "Yum!" was "Where has this been all season?!" 

The merchandise has been fantastic and, in my opinion, has been that way for the season. It was nice to see merch make its way from Knotts to the park in time for Winterfest.

 

I would have to agree, it finished strong with Winterfest. After opening night I wouldn't have agreed, but my last visit sealed the deal for me. 

I totally forgot about the Knotts Berry Farm merch in the park (I walked by it I don't know how many times and it didn't even jump out at me) .

[DJSkyFoxx]

Winterfest definitely was a strong conclusion for the year. Especially compared to Halloween Haunt, which I think most of us can agree continues to decline in overall quality. But Winterfest definitely blew me away with the attention to detail, the extra lights added throughout and the overall feel was more magical than last year. I give great kudos to the park for really making it a solid end of the season. It's one of the few things around the holidays that tends to lift my spirits because holidays in general are just tough to muddle through so I was grateful for the bit of magic. 

 

 

[robintodd]

12 hours ago, Tr0y said:

I thought KI finished the year strong with Winterfest this season. The Christmas Lights were incredible and were probably the best out of all of the parks I visited with their respective Christmas events. Although I think a lot of people would agree, the coaster lineup for Winterfest leaves much to be desired. 

The food offerings were definitely a step up compared to the offerings during the regular season. My favorite meal offering being The Shepard's Pie. The second thing that came to mind after "Yum!" was "Where has this been all season?!" 

The merchandise has been fantastic and, in my opinion, has been that way for the season. It was nice to see merch make its way from Knotts to the park in time for Winterfest.

 

Absolutely agree.  Fantastic finish.  I don't mind the coaster line-up for Winterfest.  I'm going there for lights, shows, food and atomosphere.  The coasters are just a bonus and it wouldn't bother me at all if they were not open for the event.  

That being said I do wonder if they will have Soapbox open for Winterfest next year.  Havinig a kids coaster open for Winterfest, in my opinion, would be a nice addition and not leave out the kids on riding a coaster in cold weather  

[Taylor.B03]

From the first day of Winterfest this year, I knew this one was going to be great, that sentiment held true. The added new lights + the addition of Adventure Port made the event much better than last year. Sol Spin is the perfect winterfest ride and essentially was added to my roster between FOC, MT, and ZPHR. The only thing in my opinion that would round up the ride lineup would be the addition of Banshee. Action Zone is a place I only went to 1 time this year, it's such a large section of the park that is just unused for the most part. Even if the ride was on one train, it would still be a great option to ride. Seeing FOC on one train all winterfest this year, it's definitely able to be pulled off. Another thought I had was about Racer, I remember one year KD had Racer 75 open for winterfest, I forget which year it was but I do know I saw videos of people who rode it in December. That said, once all this restoration work is complete on Racer, could we see it open one year? That's something that would be quite the treat to say the least!

[Tr0y]

The Cincinnati Zoo also charges an additional $1.29 for whipped cream. These cups look familiar too.

 

Must be another Merger in the works. 

[super7]

On 12/23/2023 at 8:10 PM, Orion-XL200 said:

That area would be fine if they had the light displays like they did the first year (of the CF Winterfest):

Photo Cred

Photo Cred

The area was juts more visually appealing than a couple random lighted deer, the "giant elf" (though cool, just not in a great spot or adds to the area) and a darkened "parking garage" of BLSC. 

Plus in recent years it’s just yet ANOTHER area with all white lights.    That’s one major flaw about the lighting.   Too many areas with all white (Tinseltown, Winterfest Way, Oktoberfest and Rivertown).  

[brenthodge]

1 hour ago, super7 said:

Plus recent years it’s just yet ANOTHER area with all white lights.    That’s one major flaw about the lighting.   Too many areas with all white (Tinseltown, Winterfest Way, Oktoberfest and Rivertown).  

Thematically warm white lights in Tinsel town and Rivertown make sense. Oktoberfest has colored up lighting and colored lights this year. Bright white in more “wintery” areas. It actually all makes sense

 

[Orion-XL200]

2 hours ago, super7 said:

Plus recent years it’s just yet ANOTHER area with all white lights.    That’s one major flaw about the lighting.   Too many areas with all white (Tinseltown, Winterfest Way, Oktoberfest and Rivertown).  

Agreed....nothing too special about all white lights, especially if they are just kinda there.