Kings Island Halloween Haunt 2025 Discussion

[jbeast]

I went last night and stayed till almost 9pm and had walk-ons or really short lines on Diamondback, Beast, Orion and Mystic. What a great evening! I got a ton of rides on those coasters and other rides and didn't miss going to any of the haunted attractions at all. The atmosphere with a ton of fog, scare actors roaming the park and world class rides, plus some good food worked for me.

[DJSkyFoxx]

19 minutes ago, jbeast said:

I went last night and stayed till almost 9pm and had walk-ons or really short lines on Diamondback, Beast, Orion and Mystic. What a great evening! I got a ton of rides on those coasters and other rides and didn't miss going to any of the haunted attractions at all. The atmosphere with a ton of fog, scare actors roaming the park and world class rides, plus some good food worked for me.

I was also there last night! I think it might be safe to say that Thursday nights will be THEE go to nights for an actual good Haunt experience. The low crowds made for a much better experience. The vibes were absolutely vibin'. Lines were essentially non-existent for the rides unless of course you wanted to wait for a specific seat. Even then, seriously wouldn't even count that as hardly anything. Staff seemed in good spirits. I will say my only negative interaction last night was upon entering the park. I had an older lady at the scan in who did not seem to understand two very simple things. One-I still have and use my old Platinum pass card because the QR code is valid due to me renewing my pass each year and their system just recycling that same code for current day. She very rudely told me that they "no longer used those" and I had to explain to her that what the actual pass card said didn't matter, it was the QR code that was still valid and renewed for 2026. She was so rude and simultaneously confused about it I had to take my cell phone out and open the app to show her that I indeed DID have a 2026 gold pass and that it did not matter which QR code I used from whichever source since they were both the same thing. She kept asking me if I "upgraded" to a gold pass from prestige? Common lady...

This all became an issue because I wanted to use my free BAF ticket (which is the second and primary reason for this snafu to begin with...) that was invisible to me but supposedly visible to them as I had my partner with me and she has not yet gotten her pass for next season. I explained to her that I bought my 2026 pass during the initial sale for next year's passes and it was to include a BAF ticket that wasn't visible to me, but should be on their side. The lady had to call over a supervisor and thankfully he was really nice about it and didn't make a stink over it and let us proceed. I wish I had gotten both of their names because the woman scanning tickets/passes clearly needs more education on her job as well as a massive attitude adjustment ( rudest person I have dealt with at KI to date honestly...everyone else has always been helpful or at the very least not rude while trying to understand something ) and the supervisor's name for not making the process any more challenging than it needed to be and letting us in to enjoy our night. 

We caught the pre-closing fountain show too and that really was such a fun and enjoyable display! I see what you all meant now about the use of the pyrotechnics being excellent and the overall use of the fountains and lights themselves was very well done. 

I look forward to catching at least one or two more Haunts on a Thursday night. It's worth going to bed a little later for the low crowds, low stress and all fun kind of night. Not to mention the weather was absolutely perfect.

[Kenban]

2 hours ago, DJSkyFoxx said:

This all became an issue because I wanted to use my free BAF ticket (which is the second and primary reason for this snafu to begin with...) that was invisible to me but supposedly visible to them as I had my partner with me and she has not yet gotten her pass for next season. I explained to her that I bought my 2026 pass during the initial sale for next year's passes and it was to include a BAF ticket that wasn't visible to me, but should be on their side. The lady had to call over a supervisor and thankfully he was really nice about it and didn't make a stink over it and let us proceed. I wish I had gotten both of their names because the woman scanning tickets/passes clearly needs more education on her job as well as a massive attitude adjustment ( rudest person I have dealt with at KI to date honestly...everyone else has always been helpful or at the very least not rude while trying to understand something ) and the supervisor's name for not making the process any more challenging than it needed to be and letting us in to enjoy our night. 

I am surprised the supervisor let you go, not because you don’t have the free ticket, but they changed how those work.  You are supposed to go the ticket booth and they print you a ticket.  I have been told they can no longer do the bring a friend free tickets at the gate.

[Diamondback_Is_King]

8 minutes ago, Kenban said:

I am surprised the supervisor let you go, not because you don’t have the free ticket, but they changed how those work.  You are supposed to go the ticket booth and they print you a ticket.  I have been told they can no longer do the bring a friend free tickets at the gate.

Yes, I tried to use one (about two months ago) at the front gate and they told me I had to go to the ticketing area to get it. Then they scan your QR code for your BAF ticket and print it out. After that you just scan it at the front and your good to go-not sure why they changed it but they did. It wasn't a long or hard process, but if the ticket lines were long then I can see it being frustrating.

[mikejenkins1]

Thursday was very empty.....

[CoasterJack]

For the most part rides and attractions were open though. Outside of The Racer only running one side, the park was better staffed than I was expecting. Also the experience in the mazes and scare zones was top notch. With so few people in the park, I'm pretty sure every single actor interacted with me at least once, if not more. The emptiness with the fog added to a spooky feeling I don't think I've ever felt in a Haunt before. Would highly recommend anyone to try and make a Haunt Thursday work (also so they don't take them away).

[Losantiville Mining Co.]

Last night was very empty, but very nice overall. I hope they choose to keep some of the Thursday night operations next year. I've been having some issues with roller coasters this year (due to personal matters) and haven't gotten to ride too many times, but I would've loved to get on everything last night with their short waits. Definitely go on Thursdays if you can. 

Some new props seemed to be added around the park as well sometime between opening night and yesterday night. There are still a number of lantern interactions that I'm bummed about losing, but things change. KI did finally get the dripping blood Stanley-lookalike cups, which is a big win — although still no $100 leather jackets.

 

6 hours ago, DJSkyFoxx said:

This all became an issue because I wanted to use my free BAF ticket (which is the second and primary reason for this snafu to begin with...) that was invisible to me but supposedly visible to them as I had my partner with me and she has not yet gotten her pass for next season.

I'm really hoping if we ever see those new Six Flags mobile apps they will make it so BAF tickets and pass renewal promotions show up. They should also put out signage telling passholders to go to a ticket window if they can only be processed there. It's the little snafus like this that keep adding up to make the overall guest experience worse.

[Kenban]

It felt like there was enough people for Thursday’s to be viable, especially if the attendance increases like it typically does later in October.  It’s not like it was so dead the coasters were running empty trains.  You could basically walk on the majority of rides, but they also had a steady enough flow of people the trains seemed to always have a few rows filled.  I went on Adventure Express and my train had around 8 people but when we got back to the station almost every row was filled.  According to the sign there was a 25 minute wait for The Beast, but I did not wait in the line, so I know there was a wait, but unsure it’s real length.

The haunts did not have a wait except for Order of the Dragon.  The Conjuring had effectively no wait, the person at the entrance to the line had a stack of cards, likely for return times to limit the line length, but I never saw them give them out, or need to do so.  I am curious if they let people go through solo, or made people wait until there was enough for at least a small group.

I was surprised by how much of the park was open.  The rides seemed to all be operating except for the kids area.  The restaurants were all operating, although one side of brewhouse was blocked off.  They even did all the shows.  It really was a normal night of haunt, just with less guests.  There was definitely areas where changes could be made to reduce costs if desired, and I have been to parks with a lot more limited operations.  

I did the first Thursdays of Halloweekends at Cedar Point this year as well.  That felt more crowded but not by a huge margin.  Also they do not perform the majority of shows at Cedar Point on Thursday.  I remember several rides not operating but I think most of that was maintenance issues.

My biggest concern was it felt like everyone at the park was a pass holder.  I think preferred parking was like half full.  If it grows in attendance over the coming weeks, I could definitely see Thursdays make a return next year.

If you have a chance to go on a Thursday this October, I recommend it.