What Do You Think Each Section of Kings Island Needs 2030?

[SonofBaconator]

I'm curious about the future development of Kings Island and would love to hear your thoughts on what each section of the park might need by the end of the decade.
 

What improvements or additions would you like to see in areas like rides, attractions, dining, infrastructure, and guest services?

Do you think there will be a new section added to the park? If so, what kind of theme or attractions would you hope for?

[Orion742]

2 hours ago, SonofBaconator said:

I'm curious about the future development of Kings Island and would love to hear your thoughts on what each section of the park might need by the end of the decade.
 

What improvements or additions would you like to see in areas like rides, attractions, dining, infrastructure, and guest services?

Do you think there will be a new section added to the park? If so, what kind of theme or attractions would you hope for?

I’ll go through each section and list what I would like to see.

• International Street. Not much I would add here but others have mentioned it and I’d like to see the old music back. The old music really set the mood for a grand entrance.
• Planet Snoopy. Personally I’d like to see Camp Snoopy expanded into Planet Snoopy to have one cohesive them but I doubt that will happen. My second option would be updating Boo Blasters in some way to improve it as it’s starting to get a bit out dated.
• Camp Snoopy. I really like the new Camp Snoopy section of the park however I feel it is lacking some more trees to feel more campy. Attractions wise I would like to see Woodstock’s Air Rail receive the new gen Vekoma suspended trains as those are way more comfortable than the current trains.
• Rivertown. Obviously I would like to see a new attraction come to the Crypt building. What attraction that would be I’m not sure. Not sure if it would be possible but I think it would be cool if a two story restaurant was added in Rivertown with balcony seating. It could make for some really scenic views.
• New section. I feel the path between Rivertown and Coney Mall could potentially be a new section of the park. Backlot Stunt Coaster feels very out of place to me and if we got a new coaster in The Vortex plot of land I would like to see both of these coasters in a new section of the park if they could retheme Backlot as well.
• Coney Mall. The back half of Coney Mall by WindSeeker always feels dead to me. If a new coaster came in The Vortex plot of land maybe the back portion past the Antique Autos could be part of the new area as well. Also I think a set of bathrooms near The Racer and front of Coney Mall could help as the nearest restrooms would be the back of Coney Mall if I’m not mistaken.
• Area 72. A new flat ride could work very well here because as of right now it’s just FOF and Orion. I would like to see a Zamperla NebulaZ or an S&S Screamin Swing although lane might be an issue here. One more thing. I always seem to find the seating by Meteor Canteen taken. Some more seating with umbrellas would be a welcome addition.
• Adventure Port. Not a particular addition but some more trees would be very welcome as there is not a lot of shade here. Also I don’t know if this would be possible but a small boat ride of some kind maybe self propelled could be cool. 
• Action Zone. This is definitely the area of KI that needs the most work. The area needs a new identity and a Haunted theme would be the best option in my opinion. Repaint Banshee, retheme Drop Tower and Delirium to fit with the new Haunted theme. That could be phase one bringing the whole area together. Then in the future I could see Invertigo and possibly Congo Falls (maybe) getting removed and I’d like to see a B&M Surf coaster themed to King Cobra replace them. It could easily tie into the new haunted area if they theme it as King Cobra returning for revenge.
   

[Skyrider]

Would love to see a new steel coaster called The Son of Beast’s Revenge using where The Vortex was and the old Action Theatre as the cue with video projection screens explaining how the Son of Beast has transformed and risen again and would be the longest steel coaster to coincide with his Daddy The Beast being the longest wooden coaster.  It would travel back behind The Racer, Flight of Fear and Orion.  It could even pay homage to The Vortex by having the same number of inversions and similar  double loops.

[johnjniehaus]

I Street: Bring back the old music and it's a pipedream but I wish to God we could have our old fountains back 

Planet Snoopy: Phantom Theater 2.0 replaces Boo Blaster 

Camp Snoopy: love this area... maybe more trees?

Rivertown: Vekoma madhouse in Crypt building. 

Coney Mall: New coaster in Vortex Spot. I think it would be cool to do a new mini section that is kind of 1950s route 66 American road trip themed with the far end of Coney where it is no longer two lane path. New area would include Backlot, antique Cars, shake rattle n roll (which is already named for a 1950s song), WindSeeker, and a new rollercoaster that ties into that theme

Area 72: Maybe a flat ride? I'm not sure I think it's pretty good as is. 

Adventure Port: Again pretty good as is. I'd like to see continued maintenance on Adv Ex to keep all the effects working 

Octoberfest: relocate the berserker from CAGA to Octoberfest...not sure where it would fit but currently Viking Fury is the lone ride in this forgotten section of the park

Action Zone: Unpopular opinion but if we are going to take advantage of the DC comic IP, this is the section to do it. I think The Bat would look really cool with a Batman theme. Maybe a new coaster once Invertigo and Congo Falls reach the end of their service life. 

[MysticTimberwolf]

I think Vortex's former spot would make for a great new area that bridges Coney Mall and Rivertown. You can still fit an exciting coaster albeit with a smaller footprint than Vortex to also fit some more flat rides and shops.

[Timchat2]

20 minutes ago, johnjniehaus said:

I Street: Bring back the old music and it's a pipedream but I wish to God we could have our old fountains back 

+100 for having the old fountains back. There must be a way to have the synchronization, lights, etc. while maintaining the grandeur of the original pedestals and fountains.

[KI Guy]

Maybe make mine a 15 year timeline.

International Street: Rebuild Pedestal Fountains. Replace current building lighting with more period string lights.

Planet/Camp Snoopy: Retheme remainder to Camp Snoopy. Replace Beagle Scout acres with a kids play area similar to the now defunct Dr. Suess area at Universal. Lots of Trees

Rivertown: Remove the Crypt building. Build something similar to KCKC. More trees

Coney Mall: Remove Backlot Stunt Coaster and relocate it to Michigan's Adventure. In its place create a new Swan Lake with plenty of park benches and landscaping. this would bring some park back into this theme park. Trees.

Area 72: Expand existing bathroom

Adventure Port: Remain as is.

Oktoberfest: Hardly exists at this point (see below)

Action Zone: Full retheme to Oktoberfest. Invertigo, Xtreme Skyflyer removed for future expansion. RMC Hybrid coaster or Mack Extreme Spinner. Many more trees.

[WoodVengeance]

International Street: Bring back the orchestral soundtrack

Planet/Camp Snoopy: Retheme the remaining Planet Snoopy to Camp Snoopy. It's an unpopular opinion, but I'll also throw in the possibility of retheming Planet Snoopy to Looney Tunes while keeping Camp Snoopy the same. That way, both IPs can co-exist in the kids area.

Rivertown: Remove the Crypt building and either build a Mack Powersplash or relocate Congo Falls into that area. Theme it to KCKC.

Coney Mall: Put a Vekoma Tilt coaster or a Mack Extreme spinner in The Vortex plot. Also retheme BLSC to better fit Coney Mall. Possibly in 2026 or 2027.

Area 72: Not a lot of room to expand here, maybe a flat ride? It's also pretty recent.

Adventure Port: Too recent, so it's good as-is.

Oktoberfest: Merge with Action Zone to create a new area

Action Zone: Merge with Oktoberfest to create a new area, probably themed to a dark forest or a medieval village. Take out Invertigo and possibly Congo Falls and put in a new coaster. Either a Vekoma Tilt or Extreme Spinner (unless one of these is used for The Vortex replacement), A B&M Surf is also a good option here as well. Keep the theme for Banshee and Bat, retheme the other rides to fit in with the area. Possibly between 2030 and 2032

[ShedTreeBoi1]

The chances of this happening are very slim, but...

Dig a large lake that spans from part of The Vortex plot to the BLSC plot. Relocate Congo Falls to the BLSC plot and relocate BLSC to a smaller park. Build a large boardwalk bridge over the lake. Remove The Crypt building. Plant larger mature trees on the bank of the lake (weeping willows, oaks, other large shade trees.) 

Incredible wet dream, I know. But I wouldn't mind if the park didn't have any large coaster investments for awhile and invested in beauty and seclusion.

[OverlandTaxis30]

These are all just pipe dreams of mine (some more realistic than others), but thought I'd share them none the less.

 

International Street: I don't know of music, but I wouldn't mind if it actually looked like a street again with sidewalks. And actually, maybe have each building themed to a respective country have something within that represents said country. (Swiss cheese products in the Swiss building. LaRosa’s in the Italian building in a sponsorship deal, etc).  

Planet/Camp Snoopy: I, too, would like to see if the Camp Snoopy theme can encompass the entire area as well as give the Log flume back the "Race for your life, Charlie Brown" name. The current Boo-Blasters ride would be given a Peanuts retheme and it’s story would be that you are helping Linus try and capture the Great Pumpkin to prove its existence, only to end up capturing the other characters, instead.

 

Rivertown: The old Crypt building would be rethemed to look like an old mill building with a Ferris wheel placed alongside. Bits of water would occasionally drip onto the riders and it would be named the "Water Wheel." The interior of the building would be a multilevel restaurant serving country cookin'. On the railroad, that large empty plot of land opposite of the Mystic Timbers end would have a town scene constructed and inhabited by skeletons a la "Boneville" at Cedar Point. And other animal figures would be scattered along the forested areas. Bigfoot would be there as well.

Now for the big one that involves both Coney Mall and Rivertown.

Backlot would be removed and an almost exact replica of the original antique car track layout would be constructed complete with the two tracks, only with a few changes.

The track with the station facing Coney Mall would have more modern cars (as nod to Backlot, they could be Mini-coopers) and have more contemporary scenery placed along its circuit. Including, but not limited to, salvaged scenery from Backlot such as the green highway signs. This side would be named “something” Parkway (though I can see it being given the “Skyline” name as part of a sponsorship deal). 

The track with the station facing Rivertown would be a relocated Kings Mills Antique Autos (Only it would be renamed Kings Mills Auto Livery) along with all of the billboards, gas station, and covered bridge/tunnel being placed along its circuit.

The scenery along each respective track would be strategically placed so that the scenes of one would not be seen or at least interfere with that of the other. The only time they would interact would be on the bridge on which both tracks would cross and go under.

This bridge, instead of the covered bridge of old, would instead be a scaled down and squished replica of the Roebling Suspension bridge (we can probably guess, that bridge has seen both types of cars cross it).

 

Coney Mall: On the spot vacated by KMAA, a couple of new flat rides would be built. These could be something like an WindStarz ride. New modern flat rides that will not detract but add to the Coney feel so to speak.

As for The Vortex plot, I am going to steal an idea made recently by Ryan and Don on Tower Topics and say that whatever coaster is put in, it would be sponsored by the Cincinnati Reds, painted red (obviously), and named “The Big Red Machine.”

 A new modern version of the Sky Ride would span the entire length of the Midway.

 

Area 72: Add a Zamperla NebulaZ ride.

 

Adventure Port: Maybe have a walk-on ship in the pond.

 

Action Zone: I will go along with the other folks here and say they could retheme it to a haunted forest.

I will add this to that concept. The current Kings Island Theater would be incorporated into this themed land and be renamed (you guessed it) the Phantom Theater with an animatronic show featuring the cast of the classic ride.

Timberwolf and Invertigo would be removed only and a new steel coaster is put in their place and would interact with the renamed River of Blood (Congo Falls).  

 

Oktoberfest: The Festhaus would be designated to serve German cuisine. Predominately beer and brats, with German chocolate cake as desert.  

[snakeeyes]

1 hour ago, OverlandTaxis30 said:

As for The Vortex plot, I am going to steal an idea made recently by Ryan and Don on Tower Topics and say that whatever coaster is put in, it would be sponsored by the Cincinnati Reds, painted red (obviously), and named “The Big Red Machine.”

I’m not a Reds fan, but if they were to do this, having a light package that pays homage to the city connect jerseys is a must

[BryanJay]

Here’s my long-winded rants of what I’d add to each section:

International Street: Could technically count as the Planet Snoopy one, but retheme Boo Blasters into an updated Phantom Theater. I feel like there’s been a recent trend in parks to bring back nostalgic past attractions (Think Knott’s Beary Tales or DarKoaster) and I think Phantom could be KI’s best attraction for that since the dark ride selection of the park is weak.  

Planet/Camp Snoopy: Retheme the remainder of Planet Snoopy into Camp Snoopy. Basically just making the exteriors of the current rides more rustic and replacing that Kidz Bob type music. 

Rivertown: The Tomb Raider/Crypt building desperately needs a replacement, as the park doesn’t have many indoor rides and it takes up a large spot of land. For the theme of the replacement, I can see a mineshaft as you’d be able to use some of the existing rockwork in the queue. Unfortunately, I’m not too familiar types of rides, especially that can fit into the building, but a wild mouse coaster similar to the newly added one in Cedar Point could be a good option. 

Vortex/Backlot Area: As I and I alone have uniquely noticed, the area where Vortex was remains empty. Unlike most who pitched ideas, I don’t know much about what coaster manufacturers to suggest what type of coaster it could be, but I think the park could use a spinning coaster akin to the Guardians of the Galaxy coaster at EPCOT. I have two themes I think could work well for this idea: Either set it in a new area make it a shipyard or move it to coney mall and make it carnival themed. For the shipyard, the queue could be a themed fishing village, and the coaster could be set over water with sunken ships to the side. I could see the coaster’s name being “Maelstrom”, as it’s another type of storm. For the carnival idea, you could theme it to going past a carnival ride graveyard (like going through the center of a Ferris wheel). This idea could keep the blinking lightbulbs on the lift hill, paying homage to Vortex’s lift.  

Coney Mall: There’s no way any park would invest in something like this any year past the 90’s, but I’d love to see a continually running theatrical show in the old action theater. As someone whose favorite theme park attractions include MuppetVision 3D and the Country Bear Jamboree at the Disney parks, a 10-20 minute air conditioned show that doesn’t require actors can be great for crowded days at a park. Unfortunately can’t think of a theme that’s not a blatant rip-off of one of the two above, but would love to see something like this regardless.

Area 72: Currently a very solid area, but if they wanted another addition a themed indoor flat ride could be neat. You can have something like a Matterhorn attraction with a preshow and themed queue (similar in sale to Alien Encounter at Disney or the Alien Abyss Haunt House, minus the horror aspect).

Adventure Port: Only unrealistic change would be to add more ability to spin to cargo loco, but I imagine you can’t randomly change the ride mechanics after opening (same applies for more capacity on sol spin) 

Action Zone: Bulldoze everything but The Bat and Banshee and start fresh. I have the same ideas basically everyone has suggested, either being a haunted themed area or a DC universe area. Invertigo has horrible capacity, and Congo Falls is the worst of the water rides. Thus ends my Action Zone roast. 

(Upon reading the initial question of this thread, I realized area was referring to different park aspects rather than park sections, but put too much effort into typing these out so enjoy my ideas lol)

[cdubbs727]

Tossing in my $0.02: 

 

• International Street: Re-open the International Restaurant. Make it a nice sit-down restaurant with a great view. Also, give some TLC to Tower Gardens. Plant some flowers. Put in some more seating. Maybe put in a rolling coffee/iced tea vendor. Make it a great place for parents to get away and relax for a bit. Start an ongoing partnership with the entertainment department at a local college to create musical productions that play for two years before rotating out (that Phantom Theater show was a fantastic hint of what could be done). 
• Planet Snoopy: I know that Boo Blasters is technically International Street, but we'll just treat it as Planet Snoopy because it's a kids' ride. I'd completely overhaul it into a Peanuts dark ride. Make it an indoor boat ride or something a bit cheerier, and overhaul the ride system. Boo Blasters is pretty janky. 
• Rivertown: Tear down the Crypt Building. Put back in another water ride -- maybe a top-of-the-line log flume (yes, there's still the one in Camp Snoopy, but I'd love to see something along the lines of Kenton's Cove brought back). 
• Coney Mall: Get rid of Action Theater; it's just taking up space. I know that most people lean toward a coaster in The Vortex plot. I'd be down for that, but would almost rather see that as a mini-land similar to Adventure Port. Put in a dark ride (maybe this is where you could do the reimagined Phantom Theater), some shops and maybe a good restaurant -- maybe something also set off the ground to give a similar view to International Restaurant, just from the other side of the park. Or maybe it's a raised outdoor food court with a lot of outdoor eating. 
• Area 72: I would overhaul Flight of Fear. Keep the same ride layout, but do whatever needs to be done to keep it working smoothly for the next 20 years or so. But overhauls the theming in the queue and the ride itself. Make it a high-quality, immersive ride experience. Call it Flight of Fear: The Next Generation. 
• Oktoberfest: Overhaul Festhaus. Update the stage and equipment so they can put on some really solid productions. Clear out Panda Express and the crappy pizza stand. Make it an international-themed eatery, food from all around the country, but made in the park from a chef-prepared menu (bump out the franchises). Treat it like an attraction in itself, the park's premiere family dining experience. 
• Adventure Port: It's new enough that I don't think a ton of updates are needed. One more flat might be good. 
• Action Zone: Get rid of Congo Falls and Vertigo. Put in a world-class coaster that serves as the welcome to the park. Re-theme the entire section (I like the idea of a haunted section to pull together Banshee and The Bat; if so, that could be an alternate space for a revived Phantom Theater concept). Put a good restaurant in this section -- something fun, maybe a bar. Lose EXtreme Skyflyer, which just looks like a junky carnival ride. Also, repaint the Drop Tower to fit the theme of the land; it's a really garish, cheap-looking eyesore, especially when it's not working. I could go either way on Timberwolf. If it's only going to be good for 1-2 shows, scrap it and use the land either to extend the park or for something else. But if they plan to get more shoes, add in some nice seats overlooking the venue where people can pay a bit extra for comfortable seating, dinner service, beer, etc. 

Really, I think Kings Island is pretty good as it is. But theme parks tend to devolve into redneck-iness if there isn't some love and care given to them. I'd love to see it really nurtured and turned into something that puts just as much thought into the guest experience as possible. 

[Outdoor Man]

I'll jump on.

I-Street: a) Symphony music that used to play pre-Paramount days. Extend it to parking lot. It always built a sense of anticipation when walking up. Now the parking lot music is the same as the music in the car you drove up in. REPLACE THE BUILDING BULBS WHEN THEY BURN OUT!!!! and straighten them when they get loose. Attention to detail....  I don't know if I see the Intl. Restaurant making a large comeback. It would't work as a quick service and people just aren't going to drop $$$ for a sit down restaurant there in >2024.  Retheme Boo Blasters to a dark ride that improves on Phantom Theater. 

Camp Snoopy/Planet Snoopy: Great thing started with Camp Snoopy- seems very well conceived. Upgrade the Planet Snoopy areas and merge the two.

Rivertown: multi-sensory indoor/outdoor dark ride in the TR building. I can't believe it's sat empty this long. Something that is an experience from the time you enter the line until the ride is over.

Coney Mall: Do SOMETHING with Action Theater. Build a replica of Moonlite Gardens as a Coney Mall anchor in the old Vortex queue area and make it a quick service location like the Grand Pavilion at Cedar Point (with food, seating, and meeting/luncheon capabilities)- A VERY nice facility that I was able to explore a few weeks ago with a historical nod to it. This would accomplish many bullet points. Give some TLC and sensory upgrades to BLSC.  New Coaster in The Vortex lot that interacts with a stretch of The Beast.  A layout with elements akin to Velocicoaster. The Beast coaster isn't the "Beast" itself... since you are on the coaster to watchout for The Beast who "lurks in ambush."  This coaster would be the element that ambushes riders on The Beast coaster. 

Area 72: Good start. Expand the restrooms. Also the ones there, 99.9% of the time, are disgusting. There really isn't a lot of ways to expand there, unless you go under Orion and through to the other side. An S&S Screamin' Swing would be terrifying and could fit into the theming easily. Problem being any view while riding it wouldn't be too scenic.

Octoberfest: pull the plug and incorporate into Adventure Port.

Adventure Port: Good start. Assume elements of Octoberfest. Keep Adventure Express and it's movable parts in good repair.  It's arguably better themed now than it was on it's opening day.

Action Zone: Banshee- a brief tunnel with fog would be a great addition. Congo Falls is one repair away from removal, as evidenced by the utter lack of ridership. Maybe remove that and make a nice plaza area for a refurbished Timberwolf area. I'm not sure why that isn't used more. A plaza could be facilitate it as a second gate. 

Soak City: keep expanding it. Getting a water coaster in 2025; get another body slide in 2026. Water Park expansion costs generally less than dry park expansion and there's really no nearby competition for it.  AND... a line entrance for White Water Canyon for those who like to ride... but don't want their clothes to get "THAT" wet on the dry side.

 

Side note: clean the outdoor eating areas more often. much more often. Guests are gross and leave the tables a mess... and they don't seem to be cleaned often. Same with the restrooms. People are gross and trash the toilets, don't flush them, pee on the floor, pee on the seats, etc... This isn't the parks fault... but I always feel like taking a bath in Chlorox after using the restooms.

[Vortex1987]

I street: Just some more music would be nice, and a boo blasters retheme to Phantom Theater.

 

Camp snoopy/Planet Snoopy: Merge the two

 

Rivertown: Huss top spin in the Tomb Raider Building, as close to TR:TR without the IP as possible. 

 

Coney Mall: Gerstlauer infinity in Vortex's plot with same color scheme, with record breaking 15 inversions

 

Area 72: More restrooms

Octoberfest: Merge with Adventure port

Adventure port: Merge with Octoberfest and become one big area

Action Zone: Demolish Congo Falls and replace with a nice flat ride. Possibly a Gerstlauer Sky Fly?

Soak City: Expand it more. More body slides.

[silver2005]

I have a single thing that applies to all areas- more trees and shade along the midways please. 

[medford]

International street:  More shade, roving entertainment.  Drop the photographers that are more annoying than anything and with smart phones don't really offer much of a service to the public anyways.  Have someone there that is willing/able to take a picture in front of the tower of your group with your phone (or better yet, if you want some value out of it, offer the pic free, just give them your phone number to text it to them then have ads to up sell their photo package on rides).  Turn the upstairs dining room into a full service restaurant, and offer reservations for a fireworks show and desert late in the evening.  If there was a way to do something similar at several of the buildings along I-street on their rooftops for fireworks viewing that would be pretty cool

Planet Snoopy:  As mentioned yes Boo blasters is IS, but its entry is in Planet Snoopy and its theme fits in there.  I honestly wouldn't change a whole lot to it, just make sure the guns work and the theming needs a huge update.  I'd re theme to Phantom's revenge and keep the general idea the same but with working pieces and props.  I'd also use the space next door for another immersive dark ride/attraction/show.  I would get ride of Sally's sea plane and open up that area for another flat/path and make the the linus launcher and the log flume feel like more of a part of Planet Snoopy.

 

Rivertown, Use the darn box that was Tomb raider.  it has a fantastic que, maybe the ride has to be part inside, part outside, but utilize the box and the que.

Coney Island, update the theming and include more "food truck" style food places.  Turkey legs, grilled sausages, hand spun cotton candy, the kind of things you get at your local fair.  Ride wise, Vortex Replacement is the obvious and retheme stunt coaster to more of a cincy coaster with the signs reflecting places in the area.

Area 72, a few more flats, not sure where but it would be easy to theme.  Might have to knock down/repurpose the maintenance buildings with may be a non starter.

Adventure Port/Oktoberfest - just make it one big area, my biggest complaint is that Oktoberfest didn't have much of a german feel to it.  Team up with Schmidts for some grilled sausages and cream puffs.  Even if the fest house had to become "international house" the lack of german food in the area for so long seems shameful

Action Zone, retheme to a "dark zone" or whatever name you want.  The 2 major attractions already fit in well, rename drop zone (Delirium could remain the same)  Replace congo falls and Invertigo with a major new coaster and add some dark themed flats to the area.

Water park, a new water coaster.  Yes I realize they are getting one next season, but I'd be looking to add another one down the road to enhance the area.  If holliday world can have 3, then KI can have 2.

 

2030 for all of this seams highly unreasonable, so I'd really make this a 2035 time line

 

2026 for The Vortex replacement/coney update

2027 for boo blasters and Stunt coaster retheme

2028 for the start of the Dark zone transformation with a couple of flats, 2029 for the new coaster replacement for Invertigo and congo falls

2030 for the Area 72 flats expansion as well as the rest of the Planet Snoopy updates

2031 general park upkeep

2032 Water Park water coaster addition

2033 Rivertown big box conversion

2034 General park upkeep

2035 major coaster addition back in area 72

 

I'd add better signs for each area along the way and more immersive theming.

 

[silver2005]

I'm on board with overhauling Festhaus for sure.  Along with just upgrading the stage and seating, just do some different lighting and paint to make it brighter on the inside.  It just has a dark and gloomy aesthetic to it as is.  Also maybe add some way to tone down the echo in there as well.  

[DoomPlague]

Action Zone: A big retheme preferably is pretty much what we all want. My dream retheme for it isn't realistic but I think a victorian city theme would be neat here and I've suggested before that you could take out Congo, Timberwolf and Skyflyer to create a new path that goes behind the Drop Tower and them have room for new rides and a shop or restaurant, etc.

Adventure Port: Add some music and some extra theming.

Oktoberfest: I'm fine leaving it as a small part of the park, tbh.

Coney Mall: Bring back the arch and make some other small improvements to add to the classic midway feel. And play appropriate music.

Area 72: a full restroom and expand the food stall to have meals. A flat ride wouldn't hurt.

Rivertown: a theme refresh would be great. I would consider a flying theater for the Crypt building and put in a Musik Express in that area or some other flat ride. I would love to see WWC get some improvements to scenery and new water elements.

Planet/Camp Snoopy: as others have said: make the whole area camp snoopy.

I-Street: Music changes. Some nice symphonic music with the occasional pieces that match the theme (like Italian or French). I know we have a whole other threat about park music but my most recent visit I was particularly bugged by how much country music is played in the park. Sorry if you like country music but, imo, I think music without lyrics at all works best especially if you have music specific to each area.

As others have suggested, The Vortex plot and the area around WindSeeker and Backlot could be turned into a new area. Eventually Backlot should come out though. I enjoy the ride but it has poor capacity and its taking up that prime realestate with its ugly theming.
 

[purdude86]

International Street: Bring back more appropriate music for the area. Would liek the side walkways to have more of a resemblance to before but with all the seating around I'm not sure I'd want to get rid of that but be hard to get it back to that either ,maybe build out a couple area at the Eiffel Tower end like at the front to add additional seating then remove table in the middle to add some more landscaping and larger trees there. Add another flat by Diamondback's turnaround, something more simple and classic to go with the area like a tilt-a-whirl or trabant. Add more landscaping and make it a nice Tower Gardens area for that whole section behind the tower.

Camp snoopy/Planet Snoopy: Make the entire area Camp Snoopy. Add more trees to give it more of an outdoor/camp feel and provide more shade. Convert Boo Blasters into a Peanuts dark ride and replace some of the older rides with some newer ones. MAybe add something like Black Bear Trail from Dollywood as well to the area next to the playground, or as a replacement for the Dora train ride.

Rivertown: Replace the Crypt building with a new flat. Keep the queue and theme it to a mine, but tear down the large building and put in a screamin' swing themed to an oil rig.

Coney Mall: Continue upgrading the rides with new lighting packages, would convert the end by WindSeeker into a 50's themed miniland within Coney Mall. Retheme BLSC into a 50's theme to match. Remove the basketball games and use that space and some of the BLSC plaza to put in a Musik Express (sock hop theme or something), New coaster in Vortex's plot with a surfing theme. Either a surf coaster or Gerstlauer Infinity like Hangtime. I would also convert the old Action Theatre into a new Phantom Theatre dark ride. It's spot is secluded a bit within Racer's turnaround so could make the outside and surrounding area a bit decrepit and rundown without hurting the ambience of the rest of Coney Mall. 

Area 72: Add some restrooms, put in a flat or two. A SkyFly or something like Air Racers at Carowinds would fit the theme well. also a gravitron, nebulaz, or topscan could all work too.

Oktoberfest / Adventure port: Wouldn't change too much here. Would just make the current Oktoberfest became part of International Street. Do a little enhancement to the interior of FestHaus. Adventure Port would just make sure to keep up/enhance AE theming and maybe enhance the third tunnel with better theming.

Action Zone: This area needs the most. I would make this a new Oktoberfest section to celebrate the heritage of the area. As they don't seem as popular or have a bit of downtime I'd replace Congo Falls and Invertigo with a new larger ride. Either a water coaster if they want to keep a water ride there or an RMC style coaster. I'd also remove the SkyCoaster. It is fun but it is right in the middle of the land and takes up a lot of space. Could remove this and add a couple flats and theming or a new restaurant as well. If a new restaurant is added I would maybe remove Chicken Shack and use that space for a flat instead. And depending on feasability a new Coaster utilizing SoB's station area for the new station, or if that doesn't work forgoing over the other coasters to get behind them then a large scale flat ride there.

Soak City: Retheme the water park with a river theme (Miami River Works) and add some theming, more trees, and some new slides. Replace Splash Landing with a better and larger water fortress.

[marineman]

I'll focus on what, IMHO, are the two areas with the most room for improvement.

Action Zone: This area really has no identity. I think there's plenty of argument backing removing Timberwolf, Falls, and Invertigo. Maybe even the Skyflyer? That leaves a LOT of space. I'm of the mindset that a highly visible "entry way" coaster would modernize the park a lot, and you can't see much of any coasters at Kings Island when you pull up. Many CF/SF parks have had such rides for quite some time. However, that's likely a 2029/2030 project at the earliest, assuming there's a Vortex plot coaster coming in 2026 as speculated. Start by removing less (Timberwolf or Falls?) and make a flat ride area more on par with Aeronautica Landing at Carowinds. Our flat ride offerings are pretty weak, yet there are some really good options out there. This could likely be a sooner rather than later upgrade, and it could still be done in a manner that leaves room for a coaster project in the future. I wouldn't be surprised to see a re-theme overall happen there given the Six Flags rights we'll now have access to. Likely, more comic-related. Aside from Banshee, Delirium, and occasional rides on The Bat and Drop Tower, this area offers very little enjoyment to me and my family in current state, and it's a LARGE area.

Area 72: Please, a legit bathroom! The two back there now make a nursing home smell amazing, and the wait sucks. There's really no others nearby, either. A space-themed flat ride or two could also be great in this area. A space shuttle themed Zamperla Air Race, or a Mondial Top Scan for example. There's a lot of talk about dark rides, too. I think this area would be prime for that option, given the natural fit with the space theme, and cold/wet weather proximity to FoF. Of course, there's always the option of connecting Area 72 over to Action Zone, which would open a world of opportunity! Again, that's likely a longer term project, though.

Edited November 1 by marineman

[SmartCat7162]

On 11/1/2024 at 2:49 PM, marineman said:

Action Zone: This area really has no identity. I think there's plenty of argument backing removing Timberwolf, Falls, and Invertigo. Maybe even the Skyflyer? That leaves a LOT of space. I'm of the mindset that a highly visible "entry way" coaster would modernize the park a lot, and you can't see much of any coasters at Kings Island when you pull up. Many CF/SF parks have had such rides for quite some time. 
 

This may be controversial, but I feel like a front gate coaster does not make sense for the park. I feel like the Eiffel Tower is our front gate coaster because it is the icon when you are pulling up the park. Other parks like Cedar Point and Carowinds do not have such a structure like the Eiffel Tower that is visible from all around so a front gate coaster makes sense for them. But I feel like pulling up and seeing the Eiffel Tower is so iconic for the park and would not want to see that change.

[OverlandTaxis30]

19 hours ago, SmartCat7162 said:

This may be controversial, but I feel like a front gate coaster does not make sense for the park. I feel like the Eiffel Tower is our front gate coaster because it is the icon when you are pulling up the park. Other parks like Cedar Point and Carowinds do not have such a structure like the Eiffel Tower that is visible from all around so a front gate coaster makes sense for them. But I feel like pulling up and seeing the Eiffel Tower is so iconic for the park and would not want to see that change.

Not controversial at all to me at least. The entrance is the way it is to act as a tunnel gate that you walk through leaving the real world behind and entering another. Everything is probably meant to be hidden from the outside to build up anticipation.

[Outdoor Man]

In the spirit of the Election Season: THIS for The Vortex plot:

 

 

 

[Orion-XL200]

If only KI/Six Flags could handle something that complex and be willing to pay for it.

[SmartCat7162]

On 11/10/2024 at 10:51 AM, Orion-XL200 said:

If only KI/Six Flags could handle something that complex and be willing to pay for it.

You also have to think this amusement park is run by the Mack family which means the park probably does not get that large of mark up on the rollercoaster if any. I could be totally wrong I have no clue how their relationship with the manufacturer works. It seems kind of like a demo ride to show what their rides can do.