Nope. 9:18pm, 8/30. 

This past Sunday, it was open, but @IndyGuy4KI and @malem enjoyed a non-moving line.

Yes! But the line is not moving. 9/1/24, 2:59pm. 

It's open 

Season past preview day. It's a big nope and park is packed. 

 

Today it is... OPEN!!!

 

Uh-oh bad news...

4:30 yes. 

So @King Ding Dong must not be there....

Is there a better use for the Depot Freestyle space other than as a mostly-closed drink stand? It's been a Coffelt's Candy store, a Dippin' Dots stand, and a Coke Freestyle location.

The park might find a way to use the space without needing an associate to staff it, but it'll probably remain a closed drink stand for the foreseeable future.

Photo: kingsislandpr on Twitter

I didn't see the Rivertown Freestyle location open during my visits this past weekend, but that's not surprising. There were a bunch of strollers parked in front of it as well to double down on it being closed.

Today I got off the train and I saw a miracle:

From what I hear, it opened around 2:30. I hope the park finally heard guests and is putting a better effort in opening this drink station (and keeping it open) after it being closed for so long.

It was open yesterday too. Almost all day from what I saw. With ice!!! We were there from 11-9. Might not be a conspiracy after all. 

It was open yesterday too. Almost all day from what I saw. With ice!!! We were there from 11-9. Might not be a conspiracy after all. 

Maybe it’s a sign [emoji6]

2 minutes ago, Fishdinner said:

Maybe it’s a sign

A sign that it will probably be closed next time I’m there. 

37 minutes ago, Fishdinner said:

Today I got off the train and I saw a miracle:

From what I hear, it opened around 2:30. I hope the park finally heard guests and is putting a better effort in opening this drink station (and keeping it open) after it being closed for so long.

Meanwhile Tower Drinks (the first drink stand people pass by when walking into the park and last when walking out) is closed according to @DonHelbig from earlier. 

27 minutes ago, Hawaiian Coasters 325 said:

Meanwhile Tower Drinks (the first drink stand people pass by when walking into the park and last when walking out) is closed according to @DonHelbig from earlier. 

Tower Drinks was open yesterday, with ice, regardless of what narrative anyone would like to subscribe to. 

1 hour ago, beastfan11 said:

Tower Drinks was open yesterday, with ice, regardless of what narrative anyone would like to subscribe to. 

How’s this narrative for Sunday, Aug. 9? 

2 hours ago, DonHelbig said:

How’s this narrative for Sunday, Aug. 9? 

How is your narrative for someone who claims they haven’t been in the park for almost two months? How would you have an accurate idea of what’s open and what’s not if you're not even around?
 

It’s easy to cherry pick what you need to fit your arguments, whether they be true or not. 
 

Notice, no one mentioned you by name, blog, YouTube channel, podcast, or whatever. But you felt the need to make it about your own opinion, regardless. 
 

Is this about the reality of the situation or about your ill will toward the park for personal reasons? Personally, my life doesn’t rely on the food and beverage situation at the park for better or worse, especially if I haven’t visited in “59 days.” 
 

I’ve never been one to mince words or hide any criticisms when it comes to the park experience and how things are. I’d even argue that I can be overtly vocal about said criticisms, to a fault. But this vendetta you’ve got going on is just silly. Even within this thread, I’ve joked about the consistent closures of other drink stands in the park. I‘m a realist. And this isn’t that serious. But I’m not going to sit on the sidelines and claim the sky is falling when I’m not even visiting the park regularly. Mostly because I have enough going on in my life, otherwise, to let this affect me. But more importantly, I like to enjoy the things I enjoy, and have a greater understanding of what’s actually important in the grand scheme of life as a whole. Makes me a happier person, and more enjoyable to be around. 
 

Just a bad look, all around. This is coming from a fan and regular listener of Tower Topics and an email subscriber of your blog. Dude, there are more important things in life. Plenty to be upset about. Really. The drink stands can open and close day to day. The ice situation is what it is. But by and large, these issues are being exaggerated for personal reasons alone. Be critical when it’s constructive to be. But to harp on this over and over again is just miserable. 
 

It’s not that serious. Chill. 

40 minutes ago, beastfan11 said:

How is your narrative for someone who claims they haven’t been in the park for almost two months? How would you have an accurate idea of what’s open and what’s not if you're not even around?
 

It’s easy to cherry pick what you need to fit your arguments, whether they be true or not. 
 

Notice, no one mentioned you by name, blog, YouTube channel, podcast, or whatever. But you felt the need to make it about your own opinion, regardless. 
 

Is this about the reality of the situation or about your ill will toward the park for personal reasons? Personally, my life doesn’t rely on the food and beverage situation at the park for better or worse, especially if I haven’t visited in “59 days.” 
 

I’ve never been one to mince words or hide any criticisms when it comes to the park experience and how things are. I’d even argue that I can be overtly vocal about said criticisms, to a fault. But this vendetta you’ve got going on is just silly. Even within this thread, I’ve joked about the consistent closures of other drink stands in the park. I‘m a realist. And this isn’t that serious. But I’m not going to sit on the sidelines and claim the sky is falling when I’m not even visiting the park regularly. Mostly because I have enough going on in my life, otherwise, to let this affect me. But more importantly, I like to enjoy the things I enjoy, and have a greater understanding of what’s actually important in the grand scheme of life as a whole. Makes me a happier person, and more enjoyable to be around. 
 

Just a bad look, all around. This is coming from a fan and regular listener of Tower Topics and an email subscriber of your blog. Dude, there are more important things in life. Plenty to be upset about. Really. The drink stands can open and close day to day. The ice situation is what it is. But by and large, these issues are being exaggerated for personal reasons alone. Be critical when it’s constructive to be. But to harp on this over and over again is just miserable. 
 

It’s not that serious. Chill. 

I don’t have to be there to know exactly what’s going on. People send me photos, what’s open, what’s closed every day. I have no ill will towards the park, either. False narrative on your end. I want the park to do well. I want the guest experience to be top tier. 

My recent visits to the park have been a mixed bag in terms of drink stands being open, but I will say that they've been open a lot more than I would've thought. This particular Coke Freestyle in Rivertown has been open during at least 4 out of my 5 most recent visits to the park, all at different times of day and different days of the week. Tower Drinks has been closed a lot, but I suspect that is due to that location's bee problem. Being able to get ice for my drink has also been an issue here and there, though it's nowhere near the issue it was in 2024. See my numerous simultaneous complaints and praises of the park as well as my 30-ish KI visits this season if anyone needs to see my qualifications for answering.

Speaking of Tower Drinks, do you all think it would look better with a more substantial roof over top instead of an uncovered (except by the Eiffel Tower) queue? This might be a good location to turn back into a snack stand. A differently-painted copy of the new drink stand in Action Zone would look very nice here. It would all depend on how it looks on busy days. Kings Dominion uses this area for their Bandstand show booth and then has their International Street refresh station over where Graeter's is at Kings Island. 

Unfortunately, I did forget to bring a newspaper to prove the pictures were taken today. 

I would hold off on blaming corporate or budget cuts for things being closed this week. This week from my experience working at the park is considered "hell week" as a huge chunk of the staffing starts to go back to school this week so expect staffing to be very tight this week again not a budget problem. 

When it comes to Tower Drinks and the bee problem, I personally wouldn't mind them moving the drink stand into the building connected to french corner across from International Showplace and then turn the current Tower Drinks back into a snack stand or dare I say another bar. Wasn't it a bar under Paramount?

1 hour ago, Hawaiian Coasters 325 said:

I would hold off on blaming corporate or budget cuts for things being closed this week. This week from my experience working at the park is considered "hell week" as a huge chunk of the staffing starts to go back to school this week so expect staffing to be very tight this week again not a budget problem. 

When it comes to Tower Drinks and the bee problem, I personally wouldn't mind them moving the drink stand into the building connected to french corner across from International Showplace and then turn the current Tower Drinks back into a snack stand or dare I say another bar. Wasn't it a bar under Paramount?

The full-time staff could leave the air-conditioned offices and work drink stands and restaurants this week to help so places aren’t closed. It wasn’t that long ago when that was how it was handled the last week of daily operation. 

14 minutes ago, DonHelbig said:

The full-time staff could leave the air-conditioned offices and work drink stands and restaurants this week to help so places aren’t closed. It wasn’t that long ago when that was how it was handled the last week of daily operation. 

Do they have to have some sort of training about safe food handling?

35 minutes ago, DonHelbig said:

The full-time staff could leave the air-conditioned offices and work drink stands and restaurants this week to help so places aren’t closed. It wasn’t that long ago when that was how it was handled the last week of daily operation. 

I'm not sure that the current GM is able to reach high enough to fill the ice bin in the machines above.