disco2000 Posted July 10 Share Posted July 10 33 minutes ago, DonHelbig said: We’re nearing mid-July, and let’s be honest—this has been really rough season at Kings Island and for the company. From staffing shakeups to cutbacks, to things like no ice, no cups, and restaurants closed—it’s all added up. Guests have noticed. I’ve noticed. But here’s the part we don’t say enough: there are still a lot of hard-working associates out there showing up every day, doing their best with what they’ve got. And they deserve credit—a lot of it. The message about what’s wrong? It’s been heard. Loud and clear. The park knows. It’s on them to fix it. As we head down the homestretch for daily operation, let’s shift the focus and talk more about the good things happening during our vidits. Absolutely! The ride ops and other front line associates are doing the best they can with the limitations handed to them from above. Sadly, those making these decisions collect their big bonuses and never interact with the guests.... 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoasterJack Posted July 10 Share Posted July 10 3 hours ago, disco2000 said: Is this a new prize - 2 FL wristbands for landing one ring on a bottle? That's honestly a better prize than any of those stuffed animals. Might have to take a crack at the ring toss... not that I'll have any luck probably 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikejenkins1 Posted July 11 Share Posted July 11 17 hours ago, disco2000 said: Is this a new prize - 2 FL wristbands for landing one ring on a bottle? At park last night and saw that for first time. Note they are only good same day so get there very early...... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJSkyFoxx Posted July 11 Share Posted July 11 I still have my 20% off games coupon to use so I may use that for this game and try my luck at it some time soon. Thankful to all the folks at the park doing their best to keep things running as best they can. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disco2000 Posted July 11 Share Posted July 11 On 7/10/2025 at 12:03 AM, disco2000 said: Glad they can change this poster out frequently. Now if the ice and cups can be replenished as quickly They are multiplying across the park LOL 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJSkyFoxx Posted July 11 Share Posted July 11 The new family thrill attraction will be some Snicker themed dark ride. Imagine the ride cars 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoasterJack Posted July 11 Share Posted July 11 I gotta know how much KI or SF is making off of all this. I hope it's at least a few million for the entire chain 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabe Posted July 11 Share Posted July 11 Does anyone have a link to the thrill seeker bundle? I'm a season passholder but taking my daughter and a friend on Mon. I saw it under daily tickets when I checked a couple of weeks ago but don't see it now, or forgot where to look. I thought it was available to buy throughout July? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawaiian Coasters 325 Posted July 11 Share Posted July 11 4 hours ago, disco2000 said: They are multiplying across the park LOL Im guessing you don't remember when there were car advertisments all over the park in the early CF days? I believe also in late Paramount/early CF there were "ride fact" signs sponsored by Marathon Gas. So ads in the park is not new. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disco2000 Posted July 11 Share Posted July 11 25 minutes ago, Hawaiian Coasters 325 said: Im guessing you don't remember when there were car advertisments all over the park in the early CF days? I believe also in late Paramount/early CF there were "ride fact" signs sponsored by Marathon Gas. So ads in the park is not new. Oh I remember...I even remember when they had actual cars parked around the park advertising ....just pointing out we are slowing seeing the return... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Losantiville Mining Co. Posted July 12 Share Posted July 12 Y'know, I think I might prefer these small signs over putting a car on a midway. You can tell they were made to be unobtrusive and easily changed out/disassembled. Kings Island has always had sponsors, as has Disney, and so have many other regional parks. The transition from the merger has allowed a ton of people to recognize a slight change and then run wild with comments. I also wanted to hop on the positivity train and mention that I've had a great time at Kings Island this season because of all the associates I've encountered. My food and drinks have been good. I really enjoyed the new Pep + Chee sandwich (I have got to find out how much pepperoni is on that thing). The shows, while having shorter runs, remain high quality. The rides are still nicely consistent. Most of my complaints are for Six Flags' corporate teams. Budget cuts affect everyone and I think there are better ways to go about doing them, but the echo chambers often repeat the loudest and harshest voices. The associates deserve much more than they're getting, and I hope the park and Six Flags are able to stabilize and improve the overall situation rather quickly. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stoan Posted July 16 Share Posted July 16 Is white water canyon super busted? Rode by in the train today and it was completely drained. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingsislandfan1972 Posted Tuesday at 01:53 AM Share Posted Tuesday at 01:53 AM The dippin' dots worker always be spilling the beans on the latest Kings Island gossip, I'm always on the side listening... 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CartersCoasters Posted Tuesday at 01:59 AM Share Posted Tuesday at 01:59 AM On 7/16/2025 at 5:54 PM, Stoan said: Is white water canyon super busted? Rode by in the train today and it was completely drained. Even when open, the ride is drained when the guests are gone, and is refilled in the morning. Your able to see this on Mystic rides before 11am 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shark6495 Posted Tuesday at 01:59 AM Share Posted Tuesday at 01:59 AM Maybe I’m flying too close to the sun, but not loving the vibe this year with all the little things it feels like it’s building up. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Losantiville Mining Co. Posted Tuesday at 03:20 AM Share Posted Tuesday at 03:20 AM All of the little things adding up are making the experience worse overall. It'd be better if one major operation could stay consistent, but everything has decreased in quality overall. I will likely renew my pass next year, though maybe not with all of the bells and whistles I'd normally get. I'm conflicted because even though my experiences this season haven't been too bad, I don't know how much I can support a company that continues to slash and burn at every turn. That being said, I also know that Kings Island (and Six Flags beyond them) can't survive without ticket and pass sales. The best thing they can do to get me to buy a 2026 season pass is to also hold the MVP sale and allow people to buy the Gold Pass and APP for $99. Once the base price for those two goes above $160 again, I'm going to have to start questioning how much I can afford to get the same add-ons that I have this year. I'm somewhat fine with the sprinkling of ads around the park, the slower operations, and some of the smaller cleanliness issues. The company needs to cut some operations to be able to pay off its overwhelming debt. My upsets with the entertainment lineup are to be expected for a park that, just three years ago, had anniversary entertainment options that rivaled those at the Disney Parks. Shows are expensive to run and require more associates to operate than most rides do. Even the drop in food quality hasn't quite soured my tastes beyond recovery. The meals are still good enough so far and I've effectively paid off my meal plan. All of the stories about the decline of the park this season have me very concerned for its future. Six Flags has the power to severely fracture its relationship with its guests, and all I can do right now is really hope good things come out of this darker age. I've loosely advocated for it in the past, but I really do think parks like Kings Island would be better off if they were not a part of Six Flags right now. Whether pass prices would skyrocket, or if quality would drastically change, or if we'd see the park begin to improve over how it has been this year are things I don't know. What I do know is that chains like Herschend have been able to maintain a consistent quality across all of their (pre-Palace acquisition) parks despite the economic challenges here in the US. Yes, they are privately owned, but who says an independent Kings Island (with some other parks) would not be privately owned? This whole situation makes you wonder what would make things better for Kings Island and its guests at this time. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmartCat7162 Posted yesterday at 01:41 AM Share Posted yesterday at 01:41 AM I think a lot of the problems mentioned have been problems for a while now and that is nothing new. But since the merger everyone is looking closer and seeing things have been wrong, but it didn't just happen this year. Even in 2023 before the merger things were not that great. The same cuts were coming no matter what happened. Cedar Fair had a ton of debt and they probably would have had years like this no matter what. The massive debt that they accumulated was just not going to disappear. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timchat2 Posted yesterday at 03:06 PM Share Posted yesterday at 03:06 PM https://www.visitkingsisland.com/calendar-and-hours Park hours have been added to the calendar for Haunt and WinterFest. Right now it is showing Haunt happening from 6PM-12AM on Thursdays in October. Also, Sunday November 2nd is listed as 11AM-12AM, which seems unusual for the closing Sunday of Haunt. WinterFest has hours listed on Thursday December 4th. Typically WinterFest isn't open on Thursdays until the two weeks around the holidays. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disco2000 Posted yesterday at 03:46 PM Share Posted yesterday at 03:46 PM ^A big push on the conference calls have been to eliminate light days and add them to the times of heavy demand and they mentioned the fall season as one of them. So the question becomes do we "pay" for that with less days in the beginning of the season next year? Or 9pm closes during the week? Stay tuned.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJSkyFoxx Posted yesterday at 04:25 PM Share Posted yesterday at 04:25 PM 14 hours ago, SmartCat7162 said: I think a lot of the problems mentioned have been problems for a while now and that is nothing new. But since the merger everyone is looking closer and seeing things have been wrong, but it didn't just happen this year. Even in 2023 before the merger things were not that great. The same cuts were coming no matter what happened. Cedar Fair had a ton of debt and they probably would have had years like this no matter what. The massive debt that they accumulated was just not going to disappear. I agree with you to an extent. But I think what most folks are trying to say is that the quality dip felt more like a quality nose dive this season. Yes, there have been cuts and things haven't been exactly stellar or perfect for awhile, but that overall sense of lacking has been really noticeable this season with far more cuts and jabs being made chain-wide and felt right here within KI. We might all be looking a bit more harshly and consciously, sure, but when you hear from folks who haven't been to the park in a number of years stating that they've noticed the lack of quality they once remembered, that's a bit more telling from eyes that don't see the park as frequently as some of us. It's all valid no matter how you slice it. The changes are just felt more drastically this season. I will note that from my experience with this past 4th of July festivities at the park ( see it under the trip report section if you haven't already )-I will reiterate that the overall feel of the park felt like what it must have to GL loyalists when SF took over their park. What once felt like a clean, manicured and cared for place gave way to an absolute dumpster fire of humans and the anything goes type atmosphere. And don't even get me started on the fact that I have seen guests with literal giant swastikas tattooed on their backs in the water park. That never would have been allowed in previous years, but here we are in 2025 allowing this garbage to participate in a public space where all walks of life gather to feel safe and have fun. Just sad times. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshua Posted yesterday at 07:14 PM Share Posted yesterday at 07:14 PM IMO, mergers are a blight. They almost always bring the rot. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IBEW_Sparky Posted 6 hours ago Share Posted 6 hours ago 21 hours ago, Joshua said: IMO, mergers are a blight. They almost always bring the rot. Especially when one merges with the Temu of theme parks and then decides to start adopting their ways in what was a decent company. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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