Kings Island Halloween Haunt 2025 Discussion

[CedarPointer]

Hopefully this brings some business to the other local haunted attractions. Can't imagine lots of people will be willing to pay extra for something that was advertised as being included with the passes they already purchased.

[Coasterteam]

I do not think they will be better staffed or themed better, I only see them shooting themselves in the foot here by making mazes cost money and then charging for an express pass which will likely be pointless as lines will definitely be shorter.

I hope I'm wrong, but that's what my prediction is.

[DJSkyFoxx]

16 minutes ago, Coasterteam said:

I do not think they will be better staffed or themed better, I only see them shooting themselves in the foot here by making mazes cost money and then charging for an express pass which will likely be pointless as lines will definitely be shorter.

I hope I'm wrong, but that's what my prediction is.

Going along with this train of thought, you already know there will be a TON of people who apparently didn't know that the mazes cost extra this year and will be complaining/starting fights/etc. I wish I had a more favorable outlook, but with what I have seen this past season with past events and with this unceremoniously announced new upcharge system for Haunt, you already know this is just going to cause more spiraling confusion among those who already don't understand the rhyme or reason why the Gold pass they've purchased for years always included these activities and now they don't. Even if the "terms are subject to change", this is not language that most folks read/pay attention to and really, until recent years, hasn't been used to the max so frequently.

[disco2000]

People will be ticked.

People will still pay.

But this is different than the pay Winterfest.  With this you still get access to the park, just not the mazes.  And to many people that is all they do for Haunt.  But this will make ride lines longer.

But people also don't pay attention, so the outcry to Guest Services will be huge.

Take last night as an example. A lot of ticked off people at Guest Services at close and arguments with security last night at 8pm because people thought the park closed at 10pm, despite 8pm close being on the calendar since January...

[johnjniehaus]

Out of curiosity has there been anything said about pass holders having to pay for haunts? I'd assume they'd have to pay $10 for regular pass and then additional $15 for conjuring 

[disco2000]

13 minutes ago, johnjniehaus said:

Out of curiosity has there been anything said about pass holders having to pay for haunts? I'd assume they'd have to pay $10 for regular pass and then additional $15 for conjuring 

I would assume by them calling the mazes premium experiences requiring separate admission, that this includes passholders having to pay for these as well, especially since there is a pass add-on now for the mazes.

 

 

[chad_1138]

4 minutes ago, johnjniehaus said:

Out of curiosity has there been anything said about pass holders having to pay for haunts? I'd assume they'd have to pay $10 for regular pass and then additional $15 for conjuring 

Passholders pay the same prices for the Haunts as the general public, but also have the option to purchase and All Season Haunted Attractions Express Pass that includes unlimited express for Haunts and 1 time each visit for The Conjuring.  $59.

[disco2000]

7 minutes ago, chad_1138 said:

Passholders pay the same prices for the Haunts as the general public, but also have the option to purchase and All Season Haunted Attractions Express Pass that includes unlimited express for Haunts and 1 time each visit for The Conjuring.  $59.

 

Let's play devils advocate.  What if the public outcry and attendance drop is so bad they decide to revert back to the old way during the season - will they refund this pass add-on?

I personally think that even despite the public outcry, these add on charges will still sell and will be successful and thus justifying to the board to consider upselling more things in the future.  

Then the question becomes when is too much?

[super7]

Typical Cedar Fair bait and switch. They sold 2025 passes advertising Haunt and customers assumed it was the same as ever.

but this shouldn’t be surprising. This organization is highly unethical. They use a sleazy disclaimer to do this type of bait and switch   They cut advertise operating hours with no notice, close entire parks with no notice, have cut seasonal events that were advertised and cut advertised prestige pass benefits

this was to be expected with the cheap season passes for next year. What are they going to charge us for next? Parking? Because it’s vague when you buy the pass exactly where free parking is good at.

for a company that’s struggling in attendance because of the way they treat their customers this is just going to further alienate customers and chase them away.

 

[Losantiville Mining Co.]

I remain hopeful that the money made from the added upcharge will go into staffing the event and making it better than it has been before. We're also seeing three mazes adding sponsors (Alien Abyss/Snickers, KillMart/M&Ms, Slaughterhouse/Skittles), so maybe that will bring some well needed revenue. It should at least cut down on the amount of young children coming into the mazes. I'll be waiting until after the first night of Haunt to decide whether or not I want to purchase a Haunted Attractions Pass, though I may go ahead and buy a ticket for The Conjuring: Beyond Fear. I've spent that kind of money on much less exciting things. Hopefully the park(s) also wait to sell some tickets until later in the season so it doesn't completely sell out before the event even starts. 

Something I am confused about is why SCarowinds is the only park celebrating 25 Years of Fear, despite both it and Kings Island having run a nighttime Halloween event for the same amount of time. We also aren't seeing any new shows with Dr. Nightmare's Game Show returning again this year. I would've really liked to see Wake the Dead come to Kings Island this Fall, but maybe we'll get lucky next year. 

 

The fact that Six Flags is an unethical company is something I've accepted at this point. Nobody at the top seems to publicly understand or have a willingness to run a more ethical company (an oxymoron, I know). Maybe we'll see some change if the new CEO comes from outside the former Six Flags/Cedar Fair realm. 

[Oldschool75]

What does everyone think about the upcharge for the mazes?

• Will they be better staffed?
• Additional theming?

 

I think it’s corporate suicide. I was expecting just the premium haunt attraction to be an up charge.


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[super7]

33 minutes ago, Losantiville Mining Co. said:

. 

 

 

The fact that Six Flags is an unethical company is something I've accepted at this point. Nobody at the top seems to publicly understand or have a willingness to run a more ethical company (an oxymoron, I know). Maybe we'll see some change if the new CEO comes from outside the former Six Flags/Cedar Fair realm. 

I will have to admit that the customers like myself that realize the lack of ethics of this company and continue to go there because we like theme parks only enable them to continue to be unethical.
 

Howe er. I don’t allow them to profit much off myself. I buy the season pass the meal pass and the drink pass and don’t spend one dime in the parks the whole season.   Because of the overall lower quality  experience and the absolute price gouging for everything else.

 

I remember back when it Winterfest first appeared I made a point to spend money at the park. Every time I went to Winterfest to support the viability of the event. They have completely erased that good will.  

[robintodd]

1 hour ago, chad_1138 said:

Passholders pay the same prices for the Haunts as the general public, but also have the option to purchase and All Season Haunted Attractions Express Pass that includes unlimited express for Haunts and 1 time each visit for The Conjuring.  $59.

Questions is with an all passport do you get other parks for the $59?  Looks like no.

[CartersCoasters]

At least the AI Six Flags used for the Soak City ads was better than this!

[Losantiville Mining Co.]

What's weird to me about this particular use of AI is that it looks a lot worse than last year's Fright Fest websites that Six Flags put out. Those looked really good and you couldn't tell it was AI unless you were specifically looking for it in the background images. 

Speaking of which, brutal opinion here, the Fright Fest websites that are currently published look like absolute garbage compared to the ones from last year. This could be a consequence of the fact that the new versions of the websites/apps have yet to be released, but they don't load correctly, include information from the wrong park(s), and look like a beginner web designer put them together. At least the Halloween Haunt/SCarowinds/HalloWeekends websites still look somewhat good. 

[DonHelbig]

When the merger was announced, I said on the Tower Topics podcast one of the things people would see is the mazes being an upcharge at Kings Island and legacy Cedar Fair parks. I was told by a lot of people that I was wrong, that wouldn’t happen. I haven’t heard from any of those people today. 

[Tr0y]

11 hours ago, disco2000 said:

Take last night as an example. A lot of ticked off people at Guest Services at close and arguments with security last night at 8pm because people thought the park closed at 10pm, despite 8pm close being on the calendar since January...

The folks working Guest Services deserve a bonus with all these changes. I’m sure, they’ve been taking a beating, not of their fault. 

I’m not too thrilled with the direction Six Flags has been taking. With that said, remind yourself to be respectful and polite to the people working at guest services, when voicing your concerns and frustrations. These changes made at the park are not from their choosing. 

[KI Guy]

7 hours ago, IndyGuy4KI said:

What does everyone think about the upcharge for the mazes?

• Will they be better staffed?
• Additional theming?

I'm actively rooting for bankruptcy and a sell-off at this point. Freeing KI from these clowns would be worth it.

Selling passes before the announcement was unethical. That's just not how you treat a customer.

Anyone else?

[CedarPointer]

It's starting to remind me of MoviePass toward the end. Charge too little for your product, then come up with desperate money grabs and change the rules on your customers when your poor business decisions come back to haunt you.

[brenthodge]

1 hour ago, KI Guy said:

I'm actively rooting for bankruptcy and a sell-off at this point. Freeing KI from these clowns would be worth it.

Selling passes before the announcement was unethical. That's just not how you treat a customer.

Anyone else?

They sent me daily emails pushing MORE EXPENSIVE HALF USED 25 season passes a week before 26 went on sale! It’s like they forget we’ve all got this cool thing call “internet” now and we can find out what’s happening-all over the world almost as it happens  we’re not stupid guys! 

 

[disco2000]

22 minutes ago, brenthodge said:

They sent me daily emails pushing MORE EXPENSIVE HALF USED 25 season passes a week before 26 went on sale! It’s like they forget we’ve all got this cool thing call “internet” now and we can find out what’s happening-all over the world almost as it happens  we’re not stupid guys! 

 

And yet look how many complaining on FB that they bought a 2025 pass a week before the sale...

[KI Guy]

2 hours ago, disco2000 said:

And yet look how many complaining on FB that they bought a 2025 pass a week before the sale...

Let the buyer beware is a thing but it's usually the credo of the sleazeball business. If they were sent emails to encourage them to buy a 2025 pass they have a legitimate complaint... not legally it's just not treating your customer right.

[brenthodge]

1 hour ago, KI Guy said:

Let the vbuyer beware it's a thing but that is usually the credo of the  sleazeball business. If they were sent emails to encourage them to buy a 2025 pass they have a legitimate complaint... not legally it's just not treating your customer right.

I couldn't believe how sleazy those emails were - Literally one a day. Telling me to hurry... get HAUNT and Winterfest and the last few weeks of the almost over season before our dumpster fire sale passes go on sale next week for MORE benefits and LESS price. 

[Pagoda Gift Shop]

5 hours ago, Tr0y said:

The folks working Guest Services deserve a bonus with all these changes. I’m sure, they’ve een taking a beating, not of their fault. 

Seems like the major backlash is still yet to come.  Right now I don't think 90% of season pass holders even realize it will be an upcharge this year.  I think the workers at the maze entrances are also going to take a lot heat when they have to turn all those confused people away.

[Tr0y]

Not related to KI, but I don’t see KD’s Haunt up-charge mazes surviving past this season. They’ve attempted an up-charge haunt before and BGW’s Howl-O-Scream beat the brakes off them, and KD switched back to the legacy CF model.

Heck BGW’s Christmas Town made KD’s Winterfest no longer an event.

[Losantiville Mining Co.]

I'm very curious to see how all of the upcharges do this season. There are a lot of people in each park's comment section(s) talking about how they either hate the upcharge or are upset that Six Flags played a bait-and-switch tactic on guests with this. That being said, the loudest voices online may not necessarily correlate with the sentiment of Haunt goers in the parks. If it turns out that the mazes have been switched up this year (maybe something is different in each one) and are much better staffed we may still see long lines throughout the Fall season. I'll probably try out the Haunted Attractions Pass earlier in the season and save The Conjuring for another night. The all-season HAEP sounds enticing, but it'll be something I'll have to decide after experiencing everything first. If the mazes are good in September but fall off in October, there's no way I'd buy the all-season HAEP in 2026 without a lot of reassurance about a change in quality. 

 

I'm super excited to see what Order of the Dragon will have to offer and is going to be one of the main reasons why I purchase the one-night pass. Vampires and dragons aren't a combination I'd have predicted and I'm curious as to how it will be done. 

[robintodd]

4 hours ago, Losantiville Mining Co. said:

I'm very curious to see how all of the upcharges do this season. There are a lot of people in each park's comment section(s) talking about how they either hate the upcharge or are upset that Six Flags played a bait-and-switch tactic on guests with this. That being said, the loudest voices online may not necessarily correlate with the sentiment of Haunt goers in the parks. If it turns out that the mazes have been switched up this year (maybe something is different in each one) and are much better staffed we may still see long lines throughout the Fall season. I'll probably try out the Haunted Attractions Pass earlier in the season and save The Conjuring for another night. The all-season HAEP sounds enticing, but it'll be something I'll have to decide after experiencing everything first. If the mazes are good in September but fall off in October, there's no way I'd buy the all-season HAEP in 2026 without a lot of reassurance about a change in quality. 

 

I'm super excited to see what Order of the Dragon will have to offer and is going to be one of the main reasons why I purchase the one-night pass. Vampires and dragons aren't a combination I'd have predicted and I'm curious as to how it will be done. 

I agree.  I do think that the 59.99 for all Haunt season is too high.  At 29.99 or 39.99 I'd be tempted, but 59.99 would be what I would expect to pay for ALL parks (with a passport of course).  Even if they did the 29.99 or 39.99 without the Conjurng it would be better.  Some may just feel like the new experience is too intense, plus with the limited availability it would seem more senible to make it an additional charge reguardless (maybe 5 or 10 for those with the full haunt season?).  

Either way, as I've always stated KI is a family park.  For that reason I can see a path where this upcharge strategy absolutely bombs.  What will they do when 2-3 weeks into the Haunt season there are a bunch of scareactors with nothing to do in the mazes??  I think it would have been better to just do the upcharge for the Conjuring and enforcing the "no boo", no strollers/wagons & age restrictions at the enterance to the lines.  Your season pass should have your age information and for people without, they could get a "haunt" band that would require proof of age.

Either way it will be an interesting Haunt season.

[Stoan]

It's an upcharge that will see no benefit to the customers. I can say with near certainly that even with the increase in revenue the mazes will at best be as staffed as last year, probably fewer roaming actors, and yes the line to guest services will be giant. 

 

The amount of kids I see chatting with security about the escort curfew rule is impressive, almost none of the park goers will know this change exists. 

 

But I, like another poster said, keep paying knowing this is unethical, but I personal do my best to keep the profit they get off me to a minimum. But even with that, this is getting ridiculous.

 

I can see the park lawyers cheering in the streets when one of them thought up "passes get you to haunt, but the maxed aren't The Haunt, they are just part of it". I'm waiting for next year when the passes we pay 300+ bucks for gets us into the park and the rides start to cost 3-5 tickets per person like a carnival.

[CoasterJack]

15 hours ago, KI Guy said:

I'm actively rooting for bankruptcy and a sell-off at this point. Freeing KI from these clowns would be worth it.

Selling passes before the announcement was unethical. That's just not how you treat a customer.

Anyone else?

See I would agree, but my fear at this point is the park would be scooped up by private equity and I think that might be worse. I don't think Apollo buying CF would've worked out well. I think they'd mainly be in it for the land and extracting as much money with as little investment as possible.

[FALLINLOVE09]

1 hour ago, robintodd said:

I agree.  I do think that the 59.99 for all Haunt season is too high.  At 29.99 or 39.99 I'd be tempted, but 59.99 would be what I would expect to pay for ALL parks (with a passport of course).  Even if they did the 29.99 or 39.99 without the Conjurng it would be better.  Some may just feel like the new experience is too intense, plus with the limited availability it would seem more senible to make it an additional charge reguardless (maybe 5 or 10 for those with the full haunt season?).  

Either way, as I've always stated KI is a family park.  For that reason I can see a path where this upcharge strategy absolutely bombs.  What will they do when 2-3 weeks into the Haunt season there are a bunch of scareactors with nothing to do in the mazes??  I think it would have been better to just do the upcharge for the Conjuring and enforcing the "no boo", no strollers/wagons & age restrictions at the enterance to the lines.  Your season pass should have your age information and for people without, they could get a "haunt" band that would require proof of age.

Either way it will be an interesting Haunt season.

I believe it says 59.99 for all year with "fright lane" 

I don't think that's too bad actually. If it was without skipping the regular line then yes it would be way over priced