Kings Island General Discussion 2025

[brenthodge]

1 hour ago, DoomPlague said:

Okay guys. Why didn't you tell me we got a sweet, new dueling RMC this year?

 

 

thats in The Vortex spot - the moose out front shoulda told ya

 

[KI FANATIC 37]

I remember catching some rides with Gary early on when Diamondback opened and just thought of him on a recent visit when the topic of people known for their ride counts (Carl Eichelman, Don, Darlene, etc) came up with a buddy of mine.


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I was younger when Diamondback opened and i remembering getting so excited in 2009/2010 when I saw him lapping it.


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[Losantiville Mining Co.]

Wow! And here I thought Twisted Colossus was still over at Magic Mountain! Man, this new ride relocation program is wild.

Going on the Wayback Machine for another project, I did notice there were a lot of stock images used during the Paramount era and in the first few years of the Cedar Fair era. 

 

While I also wish the festival structure would've been done (a lot) better, the final product looks fine to me. I just hope we can see some more improvements like myself and others have suggested to make the park look better in the coming years. I wonder who will get Six Flags America's smaller Liberty Bell after that park closes. It looks small enough to fit almost anywhere, and could be a nice addition to a park for next year's USA Quarter-Millennial. 

[Diamondback_Is_King]

17 hours ago, DoomPlague said:

Okay guys. Why didn't you tell me we got a sweet, new dueling RMC this year?

 

At least they spelled it "Kings Island" and not "King's Island"

[DJSkyFoxx]

17 hours ago, DoomPlague said:

Okay guys. Why didn't you tell me we got a sweet, new dueling RMC this year?

 

This just confirms that RMC is re-doing Racer. Duh! 

[shark6495]

Didn’t know where else to post this, but I emailed the park a little perturbed that we can’t get a water cup in the same line we get our food. 
 

got to love the response of just reiterating the policy. 
 

“Guests are welcome to bring a water bottle into the park to stay hydrated during their visit. Water bottles can be refilled at a variety of self-service water bottle refill locations throughout the park. Most locations are near select Coca-Cola refill stands and select restrooms. Additionally, guests are able to request a small water cup from select quick service locations. Any self-service fountain drink location does not have water cups available. Please ask a Food and Beverage associate during your visit for the nearest location that has water cups available.”

 

[kingsislandfan1972]

Breaking news...

[Hawaiian Coasters 325]

19 minutes ago, kingsislandfan1972 said:

Breaking news...

April fools day was over 2 months ago bro lol

[Orion-XL200]

10 hours ago, shark6495 said:

Didn’t know where else to post this, but I emailed the park a little perturbed that we can’t get a water cup in the same line we get our food. 
 

got to love the response of just reiterating the policy. 
 

“Guests are welcome to bring a water bottle into the park to stay hydrated during their visit. Water bottles can be refilled at a variety of self-service water bottle refill locations throughout the park. Most locations are near select Coca-Cola refill stands and select restrooms. Additionally, guests are able to request a small water cup from select quick service locations. Any self-service fountain drink location does not have water cups available. Please ask a Food and Beverage associate during your visit for the nearest location that has water cups available.”

 

Wow.....it's like saying "you were inconvenienced by having to go to another line....so bring your own water to the park or go to a seperate location to get water...won't tell you where, but go there." 

I understand they lost some $ on the water cups for the supply of them and people filling them with sodas...but come on....it literally would not hurt Six Flags to give water cups out.

[disco2000]

^If they feel the steal is too much, I could see the chain eliminate the self-serve and return to the unsanitary hand the associate your nasty dirty souvenir cup and fill up and touch the ice scoop and drop back in to the ice or give you water cups they filled.

Right now they feel the theft isn't worth the hourly rate of associates to manage it.

[Orion-XL200]

I emailed the park with my opinion on the subject and got this response: 

 

Quote

Thank you for contacting Kings Island.

We have sent your suggestions and concerns to our Food and Beverage Team, below is information our team has to assist guests when visiting the park who inquire about water.

Guests are welcome to bring a water bottle into the park to stay hydrated during their visit. Water bottles can be refilled at a variety of self-service water bottle refill locations throughout the park. Most locations are near select Coca-Cola refill stands and select restrooms. Additionally, guests are able to request a small water cup from select quick service locations. Any self-service fountain drink location does not have water cups available. Please ask a Food and Beverage associate during your visit for the nearest location that has water cups available.

GUEST COMMUNICATION CENTER

Guest Services

Kings Island

p: 513.754.5700 | ki.guestservices@visitkingsisland.com

I basically said that I felt it was unethical and inconvenient for the park to tell guests to either bring their own water bottle into the park or to play hide and seek with where water is available especially on hot days. 

[mikejenkins1]

8 hours ago, Orion-XL200 said:

I emailed the park with my opinion on the subject and got this response: 

 

I basically said that I felt it was unethical and inconvenient for the park to tell guests to either bring their own water bottle into the park or to play hide and seek with where water is available especially on hot days. 

I have been on this same complaint for years and it has gotten STUPID at the park.   Now my last visit I see Grain and Grill NO longer will have cups but says go to Starbucks!    WTH!   I dont drink anything but water and will NOT pay for a drink plan to just get a .00001 cent plastic cup.   So nice when you wait 30 min to get food then go next door to wait 30 more to get a tiny cup of water.     You could just monitor or have someone do the water for  you but with budget cuts that wont happen.  Love when ride ops tell you in the heat of summer to stay hydrated and get water but hey it will cost you to do so.    I have taken pictures of the VIP lounge and how they have stacks and stacks of water cups there.   So for $50 more a visit, I get water?   WHAT A JOKE.

 

Meanwhile a little west and south of here....

 

[IBEW_Sparky]

6 hours ago, mikejenkins1 said:

   WHAT A JOKE.

 

That is the only phrase that needs to be uttered since the merger was first spoken of.

[Tr0y]

7 hours ago, mikejenkins1 said:

I have been on this same complaint for years and it has gotten STUPID at the park.   Now my last visit I see Grain and Grill NO longer will have cups but says go to Starbucks!    WTH!   I dont drink anything but water and will NOT pay for a drink plan to just get a .00001 cent plastic cup.   So nice when you wait 30 min to get food then go next door to wait 30 more to get a tiny cup of water.     You could just monitor or have someone do the water for  you but with budget cuts that wont happen.  Love when ride ops tell you in the heat of summer to stay hydrated and get water but hey it will cost you to do so.    I have taken pictures of the VIP lounge and how they have stacks and stacks of water cups there.   So for $50 more a visit, I get water?   WHAT A JOKE.

 

Meanwhile a little west and south of here....

 

Yeah, you probably should get the all season drink plan. So you can get larger cups of water, and water at any location. For comparison sakes:

A Kings Island Silver Pass ($120) with the all season drink plan ($36.99) is cheaper than a Holiday World Summer Card ($165).

 

[WoodVengeance]

14 minutes ago, Tr0y said:

Yeah, you probably should get the all season drink plan. So you can get larger cups of water, and water at any location. For comparison sakes:

A Kings Island Silver Pass ($120) with the all season drink plan ($36.99) is cheaper than a Holiday World Summer Card ($165).

 

While we're on that topic, a Kentucky Kingdom gold pass is currently $115 and includes a free souvenir cup that gets you free drinks for the entire season. In my opinion, that's the best deal of the three.

[BeeastFarmer]

Isn't there a fire sale going on for six flags passes that give you free drinks with a 2025 pass or daily ticket purchase?

[Orion-XL200]

6 hours ago, Tr0y said:

Yeah, you probably should get the all season drink plan. So you can get larger cups of water, and water at any location. For comparison sakes:

A Kings Island Silver Pass ($120) with the all season drink plan ($36.99) is cheaper than a Holiday World Summer Card ($165).

 

The only problem with that, is that if you just want water, locations don’t even have it available on the machines. Unless you go to a freestyle location I think. 

[disco2000]

1 minute ago, Orion-XL200 said:

The only problem with that, is that if you just want water, locations don’t even have it available on the machines. Unless you go to a freestyle location I think. 

Water is available at some of the fountain drink locations...well actually all of them right now with so many drinks out of syrup 

[brenthodge]

44 minutes ago, Orion-XL200 said:

The only problem with that, is that if you just want water, locations don’t even have it available on the machines. Unless you go to a freestyle location I think. 

Most do. Chicken shack I no know doesn’t, but almost bc all others do. 

[Orion-XL200]

4 hours ago, disco2000 said:

Water is available at some of the fountain drink locations...well actually all of them right now with so many drinks out of syrup 

LOL! 

3 hours ago, brenthodge said:

Most do. Chicken shack I no know doesn’t, but almost bc all others do. 

I know the stand across from Diamondback does not (it has a water fountain on the outside...but it's a pain because people are usually standing there when my friend who drinks exclusively water tries to get around the people to get his water). 

[Losantiville Mining Co.]

I won't call it a good idea, but if the park is going to be this strict about guests having the ability to get pop with water cups, wouldn't it be better to just start putting a water dispenser with clear cups outside the fence of each drink stand? They already (supposedly) pay someone to go restock each soda fountain. Have that associate also "restock" or replace water kegs. They already paid someone to remove the water option from most soda fountains. The answer to the water/pop stealing problem is definitely not — as some have suggested on Facebook — installing the RFID cup chip system. The user Cafeen shared the following information during an October 2013 discussion on the DISboards forum (https://www.disboards.com/threads/rfid-chip-in-paper-cups.3183095/): 

Quote

A quick Google search shows a retail cost of $193.52 for a roll of 1000, or roughly $0.19 each (these are for 4x2 sticker-based RFID labels, which are likely quite a bit more costly than the individual chips built into the paper cups.)

I'm not sure about the cost of that today (at least $266.37/1,000 stickers in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics inflation calculator), but this would be another reason for the chain to increase the price of the meal/drink plans. The chips built into the cups may be cheaper, though I doubt it is by much. This would also require the installation/maintenance of the technology for soda fountains across all of the parks. Remember how it took a year to build one new Refresh Station at Kings Island?

The fountains running out of ice and soda syrup almost daily is uniquely a Six Flags issue. I wonder how possible it would be to start selling bottles/cans instead when the drinks run out. (The issue with that would be keeping them all cold and stocked as well). Please share your thoughts and correct me if you are more knowledgeable on the subject.

10 hours ago, BeeastFarmer said:

Isn't there a fire sale going on for six flags passes that give you free drinks with a 2025 pass or daily ticket purchase?

That promotion might have been spurred on by Coca-Cola (or was at least approved by someone in that company), but yes.

Six Flags can apparently give their Executives high salaries, but apparently cannot afford to keep their parks running at a reasonable capacity. Reducing the top tier pay wouldn't solve much, but I'm sure it would help with something.

Thank you, this caffeine-fueled rant has now concluded.

[brenthodge]

1 hour ago, Orion-XL200 said:

LOL! 

I know the stand across from Diamondback does not (it has a water fountain on the outside...but it's a pain because people are usually standing there when my friend who drinks exclusively water tries to get around the people to get his water). 

Ok. Two (and yes I knew about that one, but since a water station is right there didn’t bother to mention it since technically there is water right there 

[Outdoor Man]

couple of things. Don't waste your time on the water at the park. I had COVID in 2021 and since cannot stomach the taste of soft drinks (something that i HATE)- but I have a keen sense, now, of the taste of water. Water around Mason is TERRIBLE. KI may not be completely on the Mason water system, but KI's water tastes horrible as well.  That said, I do bring my own tumbler of water with me when I come... really anywhere I go. COVID, four years ago, made it that I can only handle certain water/water variations (iced tea, lemon aid, etc.). So if you can't get the water... not 100% the park's fault- but you're not missing much.

Secondly, I think it's safe to say KI is well on it's way to becoming an authentic Six Flags park. The cleanliness is through the cellar horrible this year. Mostly borderline putrid to gross. The picture below was tonight (June 15).  CF/SF needs to get a handle on this sooner than later because the guest experience this summer (moreso than any Paramount's Kings Island season) is atrocious.  I love that they are including the drink plan with new pass purchases.... GREAT, the drink dispensers all seemed empty before this. Can't wait to see how difficult it will be for my family to find a drink station with a Coke now, let alone ice. The lights on iStreet have a ton of burnt out bulbs, and a line of them on the south side are now unhooked and drooping. I'm willing to bet significant money that it will still be drooping in August.

They need to figure this out. It's the small things. 

[goettablitz]

Seeing the photo of the overflowing trash can (and many others) reminds me of how the park looked when Paramount outsourced the team that cleans up the park.

[Diamondback_Is_King]

Went to the park yesterday, and wanted to share a few things:

• Banshee's blue train was in the storage building yesterday, and I'm not sure why. Any ideas?
• Orion seemed very fast and shaky (specifically the silver train), and even made me grey out a couple of times (I wasn't super hydrated though, so it could have been that)
• The Adventure Port Freestyle was open today, but like usual the Rivertown one was not.
• I rode The Beast front row yesterday for the first time. Not sure why I hadn't before, probably because I really like row 17  Anyway, it was amazing, and I think I might prefer the front over row 17! Seemed oddly smooth up there too.
• Cicadas must be dying, as there aren't as many as there used to be (Yay!). They are definitely still around, but not as bad as they were last week.

Another great visit! I got 31 coaster rides in, and I think that might be a new record for me. Mondays seem like the day of the week to go so far this year. Last year Wednesday seemed to be the day to go.

[disco2000]

Is the sponsor new for the 4th fireworks lol

All-American thrills are waiting for you at Kings Island as we celebrate Star-Spangled Nights presented by M&M’S

https://www.visitkingsisland.com/events/star-spangled-nights

[Hawaiian Coasters 325]

2 minutes ago, disco2000 said:

Is the sponsor new for the 4th fireworks lol

All-American thrills are waiting for you at Kings Island as we celebrate Star-Spangled Nights presented by M&M’S

https://www.visitkingsisland.com/events/star-spangled-nights

With Star Spangled Nights having a sponsor, that would be a major opportunity to do a full on 4th of July "event" during the day/evening leading up to the display. I know the park is doing the "enjoy your favorite rides and attractions and stay for the even bigger display" model, but imo what they should do is something more marketable that would make locals more likely to choose spending the day/evening at KI rather than their local 4th of July festival. I'm talking a patriotic themed event similar to Food and Wine/Carnivale with live music and activities. Think what Canada's Wonderland does with Celebration Canada. 

[Losantiville Mining Co.]

Maybe we'll have one next year to celebrate 250. I kind of enjoy that Wonderland is the only park that has something like Celebration Canada, but it would be something to see Kings Island put on an event like that. The fact that theirs is somewhat unique across the chain is what makes me like it more. 

With 27 parks across North America (soon to be 25 or less), I'd like to see more unique/uniquely named festivals at most of the parks. Something like Boardwalk Nights (Cedar Point), Celebration Canada (Canada's Wonderland), and Mardi Gras (Fiesta Texas) are all fun and unique to those parks. Kings Island could have an "Island Nights" festival each night. 

[Hawaiian Coasters 325]

11 minutes ago, Losantiville Mining Co. said:

Kings Island could have an "Island Nights" festival each night. 

KI actually did have an event called Island Nights pre covid. It was in Soak City though and included select water slides and I believe the wave pool being open later with other activities like live music, special food, and a DJ. 

[Losantiville Mining Co.]

There was also a similarly-named event planned for 2020 that never materialized due to the pandemic. It would be nice to see the event return to the dry side of the park and become a true festival event. I asked about it previously on one of these forums, although I have no clue when or where the answer came. 

I'm also working on a list of all events/festivals Kings Island has held through the years using the WaybackMachine. So far I have stuff from 2000-2004 (?), and would appreciate help if anyone is able. I considered creating a topic for it, but I am already a posting/topic creating fiend. Current verdict for those curious: KI/PKI held a lot more events (with and without concerts) and festivals in the 2000s than in the 2020s.