Winterfest 2023 Discussion

[BoddaH1994]

12 minutes ago, Tr0y said:

Yep, those parks have the staffing to pull it off. Kings Island however doesn’t. Heck Kings Island is already short staffed for 2024! 

 

I’m old enough to remember when Kings Island was fully staffed last summer. 
 

If only we had:

Dorms

Competitive Pay

A large employment market to pull from

Hmmm…. It’s almost like it’s on purpose.

 

[super7]

It all comes down to the fact that Cedar Fair does not want to pay competitive wage for the metro market or guarantee hours to the employees (ghost weather closures). 
 

Dollywood has the park fully staffed for daily fall and Christmas operations despite its lower populated area.
 
EVERYTHING is open (except water rides).  Including all shops and food locations. 

The “we can’t get employees” excuse is just an excuse. 

[Orion-XL200]

So I didn't realize the lighted "fountains" on top of the skating rink were actually used in 2005 for the first return of Winterfest:
 

[brenthodge]

56 minutes ago, Orion-XL200 said:

So I didn't realize the lighted "fountains" on top of the skating rink were actually used in 2005 for the first return of Winterfest:
 

Yep-the big arch in the center was cool. It really tied it all together. Not sure if the ones now are original or not. There are 2 “fountains” up in Middletown in their light drive through that might the ones from 05 that were sold off. 

[BoddaH1994]

12 hours ago, brenthodge said:

Yep-the big arch in the center was cool. It really tied it all together. Not sure if the ones now are original or not. There are 2 “fountains” up in Middletown in their light drive through that might the ones from 05 that were sold off. 

That would be a looooong time for something like that to survive. Plus those things probably aren’t exactly bank-breaking. Almost all of the WF 05 was sold to EnterTRAINment Junction for pennys-per-pound. They wanted it off the property. EJ used much of it and threw away a lot. I’m not certain if they resold any of it, but I could find out. If they are the same ones they were probably restrung with new lights. 

[BeeastFarmer]

I will go to WinterFest for the first time this year next week.  From the webcam, the park looks beautiful. 

But a couple of the Eiffel Tower sequences make it look like a giant lava lamp instead of a Christmas tree.  I kind of miss the vintage 2017-18 Eiffel Tower tree vibe 

[brenthodge]

OK - 4th visit - no kids - I think I can finally gather my thought and impressions:
FIRST - Park looks fantastic - even with cuts to staffing in the facilities and events crews - they made it look the best it ever has. Things that were broken or needed to be retired mostly were, and it overall looks professional and fresh. The new lighting looks great and finally looks like it should've from the beginning for a "winning" Holiday in the Park event.

SECOND - Just a few things I noticed - felt and wish could be addressed to live up to that title they keep winning

1) Entertainment cuts - felt it. Maybe if I'd never been before (and thats what they are counting on) it wouldn't be noticed, but we lost a lot of the "on the half hour" shows - the things that happen IN BETWEEN the marque shows literally in the slot between them. These are the things like Jingle Jazz you might not watch the whole set, but it adds action and festivity as you pass along.

THOUGHTS:

REALLY need the original 4 drummers in the Planet Snoopy spot. Nativity is great freed from the barnyard, but its fighting bumper cars and kids where it is.

Move Nativity to the area in front of BEAST with the lanterns hanging overhead from halloween. That area is visible, yet secluded. They need to add benches and make it like a "park" in the woods. Really make that show special.

Move Coca-Cola Polar area to The Vortex pathway - theres room at the backlot plaza to have the DJ and the red/white lighting would tie into Rivertown and Tinsel Town with Coca-Cola tying into the drive in and the billboards tie into antique cars. 

Move all of the elf stuff to the "village of outhouses" by the animated elf. Make that the Elf Village with a new large tree on the base from winterfest 1, use the footers to add lighting trusses to light the houses and the elf statues. Fill the area with giant toys and make it feel like the NorthPole

Coney returns to being just A CONEY CHRISTMAS with the midway fully lit with overhead LEDs and no DJ

The Ice Princess area moves to Action Zone in the dead area by Banshee and use the station as an "Ice Castle" with lots of blue lighting and maybe use the gift shop as an indoor photo area or small retail idea. 

Move Ice Carvers back a bit in front of Invertigo and use the center "stage" area better for Jingle Jazz to bring some other entertainment to that slightly dead part of the park

Put 4 Drummer back where it was and maybe move What the Dickens over to the Skyline patio - they used that as a stage year one and it would be nice if that show could get is own area - themed to a victorian theatre - to not feel like the warm up act for the Peanuts show

Really wish there was another small stage in the dining area by the train/potato works. That whole area needs a rework to get rid of the SPRITE umbrellas and build a full cover pergola with high efficency heaters in the roof to heat the whole area (actually they need to build a lot of theme appropriate covered dining areas with better heat than the rolling propane tower heaters

For the love of God please fix that parade. I loved the path behind the tower. Its magical seeing it circle the icon of the park, but the sloppy ending is just... sloppy. Ive been told the slope from the flower clock to the tower is why it can run a circle from Coney, behind Dodgem, around the tower - down and up I Street and back to Coney, but I looked at the slope tonight, and its really not that much - people make it out like its a 45* angle - that or run the parade from the gate bu the entrance - up I street, around the tower, through Snoopy and out the gate by Surf Dog so it could make a full loop by going backstage and the performers wouldn't leave the floats until they clear the gate. Its just... weird the way it ends and they are getting called out for it a lot in FB Groups.

Otherwise, I love the event and just get happy each time I go. I want it to be AMAZING and we are so close guys!

[Timchat2]

1 hour ago, brenthodge said:

REALLY need the original 4 drummers in the Planet Snoopy spot. Nativity is great freed from the barnyard, but its fighting bumper cars and kids where it is.

Move Nativity to the area in front of BEAST with the lanterns hanging overhead from halloween. That area is visible, yet secluded. They need to add benches and make it like a "park" in the woods. Really make that show special.

I couldn't agree more. While I appreciate the extra exposure the new spot brings to Nativity, the surrounding noise and foot traffic (along with what feels like cranked up volume from the show to combat the noise) really impacts the mood.

[disco2000]

[BeeastFarmer]

^Seems reasonable to me 

[Timchat2]

It was a peaceful evening at the park if you dressed accordingly. We walked right on Flight of Cheer and then had Holly Jolly Trolley to ourselves. 

[robintodd]

Nice night at the park tonight (Wed.)  Crowds were not bad at all.  Not too busy and not to empty, just right.

Took 2 of the grandkids and was hoping to get them Wonder Wands and they were SOLD OUT.  Amazing how even without the proper hype leading up to the event that these are no longer available!  They said they were trying to get some shipped in from Carowinds and hope to have them soon.  Obviously the price point was right and even with just word of mouth and social media these thing sold out quick.  

Next thing I noticed was no snow machines were going in the park (not even the ones for the Tinker's show).  The show was still fantastic, the snow just adds that little bit of magic to it.  

Parade was fantastic as always.  Props and thanks to all who are involved.  I feel lucky to have such a fantastic event close to home.

Only bad part of the night was my granddaugher lost her grey scarf with white poka dots on Snow Works.  She and her brother literally rode it till they closed it and she was the last one off.  We walked to the front gate and she realized she left it there (I guess there's a "box" to put stuff in that you don't want to go down a 20 foot hill with?)  We went back and checked with the security guards and they said they didn't find anything.  Filled out a lost and found report (that was a really well done app!) so hopefully it will turn up. 

All in all a great night with the kids hope to make it back next week and hoping they'll have Wonder Wands this time!

Lastly is it me or are the mugs the same as last year?  Do the mugs from last year work for the $1 drinks this season?  Curious because we bought 2 tonight and now I have 4 of them and want to make sure I take the "right 2 back" if they indeed go off the year you bought them, tracking by bar code.  

[brenthodge]

28 minutes ago, robintodd said:

Nice night at the park tonight (Wed.)  Crowds were not bad at all.  Not too busy and not to empty, just right.

Took 2 of the grandkids and was hoping to get them Wonder Wands and they were SOLD OUT.  Amazing how even without the proper hype leading up to the event that these are no longer available!  They said they were trying to get some shipped in from Carowinds and hope to have them soon.  Obviously the price point was right and even with just word of mouth and social media these thing sold out quick.  

Next thing I noticed was no snow machines were going in the park (not even the ones for the Tinker's show).  The show was still fantastic, the snow just adds that little bit of magic to it.  

Parade was fantastic as always.  Props and thanks to all who are involved.  I feel lucky to have such a fantastic event close to home.

Only bad part of the night was my granddaugher lost her grey scarf with white poka dots on Snow Works.  She and her brother literally rode it till they closed it and she was the last one off.  We walked to the front gate and she realized she left it there (I guess there's a "box" to put stuff in that you don't want to go down a 20 foot hill with?)  We went back and checked with the security guards and they said they didn't find anything.  Filled out a lost and found report (that was a really well done app!) so hopefully it will turn up. 

All in all a great night with the kids hope to make it back next week and hoping they'll have Wonder Wands this time!

Lastly is it me or are the mugs the same as last year?  Do the mugs from last year work for the $1 drinks this season?  Curious because we bought 2 tonight and now I have 4 of them and want to make sure I take the "right 2 back" if they indeed go off the year you bought them, tracking by bar code.  

Least years don’t work. It’s the barcode, not the design that helps differentiate

snow machines were cranking all night from where I saw -didn’t see tinkers tonight so can’t say for that, but the ones on I Street were. 

[robintodd]

7 hours ago, brenthodge said:

Least years don’t work. It’s the barcode, not the design that helps differentiate

snow machines were cranking all night from where I saw -didn’t see tinkers tonight so can’t say for that, but the ones on I Street were. 

Good to know.  Thanks!

[PKIVortex]

This year's cup is auppose to have Fury 325 art work on them that were done by a kid who won a contest.

Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk

[DJSkyFoxx]

I still really want to try the International Restaurant Buffet, if anything, for the experience of sitting up there since it's not a common point of access during any other part of the season. I wonder if there will be any buyouts of it next week after Christmas? (Not counting the NYE stuff )

[disco2000]

22 minutes ago, DJSkyFoxx said:

I still really want to try the International Restaurant Buffet, if anything, for the experience of sitting up there since it's not a common point of access during any other part of the season. I wonder if there will be any buyouts of it next week after Christmas? (Not counting the NYE stuff )

Unfortunately it is just a click away from being turned into a private party.  I wonder how far in advance they would require reserving it?

 

But then in true KI fashion, when you select the contact us, this comes up LOL:

 

 

[Timchat2]

The snow globe is back by Banshee:

[BB1]

2 hours ago, Timchat2 said:

The snow globe is back by Banshee:

With a big sign that says please do not enter. I loved getting pictures in the snow globe, the lack of access isn’t to thrilling.

[BeeastFarmer]

Uh oh.  Who broke the Eiffel Tower Christmas tree tonight?  

Surely they didn't buy lights where one goes out and they all go out ...

( This post is sarcasm)

[IndyGuy4KI]

46 minutes ago, BeeastFarmer said:

Uh oh.  Who broke the Eiffel Tower Christmas tree tonight?  

Surely they didn't buy lights where one goes out and they all go out ...

( This post is sarcasm)

Is SIX already paying the light bill? 

[silver2005]

Maybe its one of those old light strings where if one bulb goes out, they all go out. 

[brenthodge]

56 minutes ago, silver2005 said:

Maybe its one of those old light strings where if one bulb goes out, they all go out. 

too late - lame humor past already posted - gotta be quick around here

 

[Tr0y]

2 hours ago, BeeastFarmer said:

Uh oh.  Who broke the Eiffel Tower Christmas tree tonight?  

Surely they didn't buy lights where one goes out and they all go out ...

( This post is sarcasm)

Even with those lights out, there are still more Christmas lights on display at Kings Island than any given Disney park in Orlando. 

[BeeastFarmer]

I love the webcam!

I visited this week. While I had a great time, WinterFest has lost a lot of its luster. For the first time, I left before ten pm, both nights. First night, right after the parade, second night around 815. The only performance I didn't see was The Mistletoes.

Didn't see any merriment characters on the midways except Mr. and Ms. Tannenbaum, and some elves driving around in an antique auto.

The lighting ceremony, Tinkers and What the Dickens were great as usual. Sounds of the Nativity was incredible. The "Christmas in Rivertown" sign was a great surprise!  

From potato works to Jingle Jazz, it was dead. As was the usual pathway from LaRosa's to the floral clock. While the giant elf and the icicles are cool, there is no energy.

I waited in line at Enrique's to try a churro, which was prominently features on the menu board. After waiting about 10 minutes, when I asked for one, I was told they were out and had been out for a few days.  

I bought some gifts from the candle makers, that was cool.  I had planned to buy the new The Beast hat, but decided it was too much money.  One of the few times I didn't spend money on something related to The Beast.

Staff was amazing, as always. Something just felt odd... during the parade, the characters were moving their mouths but the voices were canned.

I didn't even bother riding Mystic Timbers.

Familiarity breeds contempt. This is my 6th WinterFest so maybe I need a break next year. I had planned on going back on Tuesday and Wednesday, then for new years eve if work isn't crazy, but I've decided to forgoe that because I don't want to drive 5 hours round trip, twice in a week and two hotel stays.

Am I the only one?

[IndyGuy4KI]

What's that noise? It's like a squeaky noise. IndyGuy4KI will investigate. 

[Orion-XL200]

On 12/21/2023 at 8:01 PM, Timchat2 said:

The snow globe is back by Banshee:

Better late than never....or imo if they aren't allowing anyone inside of it, why bother? I mean opening day, they advertised it with folks going in. Is this a case of staffing even though the official word from comms was that the park was fully staffed for the year.

17 minutes ago, BeeastFarmer said:

I love the webcam!

I visited this week. While I had a great time, WinterFest has lost a lot of its luster. For the first time, I left before ten pm, both nights. First night, right after the parade, second night around 815. The only performance I didn't see was jingle jazz.

Didn't see any merriment characters on the midways except Mr. and Ms. Tannenbaum, and some elves driving around in an antique auto.

The lighting ceremony, Tinkers and What the Dickens were great as usual. Sounds of the Nativity was incredible. The "Christmas in Rivertown" sign was a great surprise!  

From potato works to Jingle Jazz, it was dead. As was the usual pathway from LaRosa's to the floral clock. While the giant elf and the icicles are cool, there is no energy.

I waited in line at Enrique's to try a churro, which was prominently features on the menu board. After waiting about 10 minutes, when I asked for one, I was told they were out and had been out for a few days.  

I bought some gifts from the candle makers, that was cool.  I had planned to buy the new The Beast hat, but decided it was too much money.  One of the few times I didn't spend money on something related to The Beast.

Staff was amazing, as always. Something just felt odd... during the parade, the characters were moving their mouths but the voices were canned.

I didn't even bother riding Mystic Timbers.

Familiarity breeds contempt. This is my 6th WinterFest so maybe I need a break next year. I had planned on going back on Tuesday and Wednesday, then for new years eve if work isn't crazy, but I've decided to forgoe that because I don't want to drive 5-7 hours and a hotel.

Am I the only one?

No you aren't. I mean, I've only been opening night and I just didn't feel the magic anymore. Can't exactly put my finger on it, but yeah, just not a fan....will go one more time before the end of the season....not sure I will expect much.

[brenthodge]

13 hours ago, Orion-XL200 said:

Better late than never....or imo if they aren't allowing anyone inside of it, why bother? I mean opening day, they advertised it with folks going in. Is this a case of staffing even though the official word from comms was that the park was fully staffed for the year.

No you aren't. I mean, I've only been opening night and I just didn't feel the magic anymore. Can't exactly put my finger on it, but yeah, just not a fan....will go one more time before the end of the season....not sure I will expect much.

First off - you didn't miss Jingle Jazz - they were cut this year. Second, its what you make of it I guess. YES, the entertainment feels a bit less this year, but overall the park looks great - maybe in some ways the best it has. The lights are denser, and there are more areas covered. I've seen less Midway Merriment characters this year, but I still see plenty out roaming. Jack Frost and his crew are always out chatting up the crowd. I think with fewer of them, its easier to go a longer way without seeing any. I think its mostly felt in the themed areas where they used to "hang out" more. Now they are all just roaming park-wide to try to cover more area with less staff. 

I don't know - after all the talk of cuts and how "the park is falling apart" I tried to hate on it, but I still walk around all night with a goofy grin. It's still a dash of magic to me. I guess because for a few chilly nights, I see the park at the level of immersion, entertainment, theming and just all around pleasant experience that I wish it could be year-round. It's like for a few weeks the clock turns back to the 70's and a magical THEME park re-emerges. 

[brenthodge]

15 hours ago, Tr0y said:

Even with those lights out, there are still more Christmas lights on display at Kings Island than any given Disney park in Orlando. 

so true - is it "top in the country?" no, but Im so happy to have and event like this right in my own backyard.

[BeeastFarmer]

1 hour ago, brenthodge said:

First off - you didn't miss Jingle Jazz - they were cut this year. Second, its what you make of it I guess. YES, the entertainment feels a bit less this year, but overall the park looks great - maybe in some ways the best it has. The lights are denser, and there are more areas covered. I've seen less Midway Merriment characters this year, but I still see plenty out roaming. Jack Frost and his crew are always out chatting up the crowd. I think with fewer of them, its easier to go a longer way without seeing any. I think its mostly felt in the themed areas where they used to "hang out" more. Now they are all just roaming park-wide to try to cover more area with less staff. 

I don't know - after all the talk of cuts and how "the park is falling apart" I tried to hate on it, but I still walk around all night with a goofy grin. It's still a dash of magic to me. I guess because for a few chilly nights, I see the park at the level of immersion, entertainment, theming and just all around pleasant experience that I wish it could be year-round. It's like for a few weeks the clock turns back to the 70's and a magical THEME park re-emerges. 

I think you were replying to me.  I've corrected my mistakes, it was Mistletones, not Jingle Jazz.

The park does look great. But the experience is subjective.  Up until this event, I got that magic feeling and it was nostalgic from the 80s for me.  The crown jewel of WinterFest is International Street for me.  That was the only time I felt even slightly nostalgic. It's probably thought process too...like I process things and think about how it's not unique to ki.  The lip syncing at the parade and Tinkers.  They could plug and play this event at any of the Six Flags locations, if the merger happens.  I think that's what destroys the magic for me.  That's on me, not KI or CF.  That's why I think I might need a break for next year. But anything can happen between now and then lol.