Kings Island General Discussion 2026

[Losantiville Mining Co.]

Double posting because it could be relevant to the entertainment lineup stuff:

A few people have been posting this on the Facebook groups. Could we see more entertainment coming to the parks? Is it possible that KI is one of the parks that will be affected by whatever will be in this press release? The wording is weird, so it really could just be a big press release about new entertainment coming to 2 parks, but it's fun to speculate.

[KI Guy]

3 hours ago, Losantiville Mining Co. said:

I'd much rather see The Vortex plot filled before anything major gets done in Action Zone. KI can start the Action Zone redevelopment now, but I think they need to fill the hole they have before patching an area that isn't yet letting in water (if that makes sense). Timberwolf and the KI Theater get used for Music in the Parks/Festival of Music in the beginning of the season as well.

I see it more like Action Zone is the untouched wing of the house with peeling wallpaper and beat up furniture.

Adding something to The Vortex plot would be like putting in a pool into the landscaped backyard.

[Hawaiian Coasters 325]

40 minutes ago, Losantiville Mining Co. said:

Double posting because it could be relevant to the entertainment lineup stuff:

A few people have been posting this on the Facebook groups. Could we see more entertainment coming to the parks? Is it possible that KI is one of the parks that will be affected by whatever will be in this press release? The wording is weird, so it really could just be a big press release about new entertainment coming to 2 parks, but it's fun to speculate.

The leading rumor is a few parks that cancelled their winter events are bringing them back. Not KD though hence why they made their announcement this morning. 

[BryanJay]

2 hours ago, Losantiville Mining Co. said:

Double posting because it could be relevant to the entertainment lineup stuff:

A few people have been posting this on the Facebook groups. Could we see more entertainment coming to the parks? Is it possible that KI is one of the parks that will be affected by whatever will be in this press release? The wording is weird, so it really could just be a big press release about new entertainment coming to 2 parks, but it's fun to speculate.

They will be announcing Phantom Theater clones coming to the other Six Flags parks to replace the Boo Blasters/Justice Leagues trust me. 

[Rivertown Rider]

After a couple visits this year so far a few thoughts: 

Phantom Theater is great.  The sound of Larry could be better in the lobby but overall a solid addition.  It is not the original but is also its own great thing.  I think with it being more family friendly it will hopefully have more staying power.  I'd love to see more merch for it as time goes on.

The music being improved in different areas is a definite upgrade and the food I have eaten so far has been good. 

As far as constructive criticism, I like some of the new merch but some of it too pricey.  For example if The Bat shirt was $25 I'd have been tempted.  At $30 it was a no for now. 

I've long thought the park would be smart to have a screen printing shirt shop.  You could have basic colors (think the Kings Island logo shirts) with 20 to 30 logo options. People would pick their size shirt and then a logo of their choosing (not made until they select the color shirt and size and purchase).  This would allow you have shirts for things like Invertigo or White Water Canyon or Woodstock Express.  You could even do classic defunct rides as well.  

From a food service standpoint sometimes the chain (this isn't limited to KI) chases pennies only to lose dollars.  For example we were eating lunch at Juke Box yesterday and the line was well out the door.  It was because they had one person serving food.  If they had one person doing sandwiches/tenders and another doing fries/onion rings it would have significantly sped up the line.  On a day when there were a ton of school groups I wondered how many $20 meals they lost out on because people said "I'm not waiting in that line."  Two meals would have easily paid that salary for the hour.  I do want to point the worker did a great job and was working as hard and as fast as she could.  We have the meal plan but I'm certain a significant number of the school groups did not.

The park drastically needs another indoor restaurant.  Tear down the Killmart building and build a nice efficient food court.  There are multiple reasons why Brewhouse and Festhaus are so crowded but on days like yesterday where it was cooler, people want a place to sit down and want to be inside.

[WoodVengeance]

1 hour ago, BryanJay said:

They will be announcing Phantom Theater clones coming to the other Six Flags parks to replace the Boo Blasters/Justice Leagues trust me. 

I know this was posted as a joke, but I do hope Six Flags keeps Phantom Theater exclusive to Kings Island. I do think the other Boo Blasters will get redone at some point, but hopefully with their own exclusive themes and characters.

[Losantiville Mining Co.]

1 hour ago, Rivertown Rider said:

I've long thought the park would be smart to have a screen printing shirt shop.  You could have basic colors (think the Kings Island logo shirts) with 20 to 30 logo options. People would pick their size shirt and then a logo of their choosing (not made until they select the color shirt and size and purchase).  This would allow you have shirts for things like Invertigo or White Water Canyon or Woodstock Express.  You could even do classic defunct rides as well.

I wonder if this would be a lot more popular than the airbrush tees, or if it could be a good addition to it.

[DJSkyFoxx]

16 hours ago, KI Guy said:

I see it more like Action Zone is the untouched wing of the house with peeling wallpaper and beat up furniture.

Adding something to The Vortex plot would be like putting in a pool into the landscaped backyard.

While I agree with this analogy, I'd rather see them finish up that landscaped backyard before the brush comes in and takes over and then do a major refocus on AZ. 

[rexpostal]

On 4/30/2026 at 12:47 PM, DJSkyFoxx said:

Never said it was just the youth, but more often than not the issues I have witnessed and dealt with personally have been with those under the age of 18. I realize this behavior is brought on by lack of parenting or poor parenting. But the song remains the same however you wanna slice it. Bad behavior could become a valid reason to cut fireworks/drones and later nights-thus giving more parks justification to close earlier.

Mate,  I had tremendous parents and I was still an absolute terror and hoodlum.  Its brought on by kids being kids with bad brains that don't function properly. 

[rexpostal]

23 hours ago, DonHelbig said:

I saw the first one when it opened in 1982, Air Supply. Ten rows back, center stage. 

Did any of you see the Ramones when they played?  As a life long punk rock goon,  that's the one that always blew my mind.  July 18th, 1990.  

[KI Guy]

On 5/4/2026 at 3:37 PM, DonHelbig said:

People have been asking how many more years Timberwolf will be around for the past 25 years.

Which is also about last time Action Zone got significant attention outside of Banshee. 🤷🏼‍♂️

[DJSkyFoxx]

19 hours ago, rexpostal said:

Mate,  I had tremendous parents and I was still an absolute terror and hoodlum.  Its brought on by kids being kids with bad brains that don't function properly. 

I'm not here to split hairs over this. I realize there are plenty of situations where a kid may have had good parents and upbringing and still have behavior issues. That's just how it is sometimes. However, I will stand on business. Have you worked in a school recently? Because I have. I have worked as an SRO and I have worked for juvenile court. I've seen some of the worst child/parent situations. Not to mention we live in the age where the bullying/constant flow of being on the internet/information overload and dopamine hits for likes is through the roof. And this is what we see in real life every day in public places-the park being no different. 

Twice already, myself and my fiancé' have had a group of underage teens asking if we were of age and if they could come in with us. My response every single time is "absolutely not. I'm not liable for you".

Moving on.

[robintodd]

Invertigo is testing this morning however they still have the ride will not operate today sign up.

[disco2000]

2 hours ago, robintodd said:

Invertigo is testing this morning however they still have the ride will not operate today sign up.

It tested yesterday as well.  Have you noticed how quiet it is?

[robintodd]

1 hour ago, disco2000 said:

It tested yesterday as well.  Have you noticed how quiet it is?

Yes.  Must be new wheels.  

[Outdoor Man]

The park NEEDS to address this. This is horrible, terrible, gross. What's worse is that while enjoying our Skyline, no fewer than 4 employees in Supervisor attire were nearby standing, talking, walking by, etc... addressed nothing.  I didn't take a picture of the Brew House mens room... which I felt like my hands would have been cleaner had I NOT washed them. Water all over the floor.

[rexpostal]

On 5/6/2026 at 9:24 AM, DJSkyFoxx said:

I'm not here to split hairs over this. I realize there are plenty of situations where a kid may have had good parents and upbringing and still have behavior issues. That's just how it is sometimes. However, I will stand on business. Have you worked in a school recently? Because I have. I have worked as an SRO and I have worked for juvenile court. I've seen some of the worst child/parent situations. Not to mention we live in the age where the bullying/constant flow of being on the internet/information overload and dopamine hits for likes is through the roof. And this is what we see in real life every day in public places-the park being no different. 

Twice already, myself and my fiancé' have had a group of underage teens asking if we were of age and if they could come in with us. My response every single time is "absolutely not. I'm not liable for you".

Moving on.

I'm a special ed teacher.  I've worked in both elementary schools and high schools for closing on 15 years now. 

 

[rexpostal]

Also,  I'm CPI trained and on our Crisis Response Team.  I've dealt with kids in their most extreme and difficult moments.  I work in a school currently that has the wealthiest families per capita and they have the exact same issues I had in the school with Title I funding for being the highest poverty school per capita.  Sure,  there are times poor parenting is to blame for student struggles,  but that is not the case most of the time.  From my 15 years of experience working hands on with children.  

Now,  when I was an intake officer and licensed probation officer working at the juvenile detention center,  many of those kids had difficult family situations,  but that is a very small percentage of the youth population being arrested and brought to the detention center.  I would not extrapolate the issues I saw at the detention center to the regular issues happening in schools and the like.  

[DonHelbig]

26 minutes ago, Outdoor Man said:

The park NEEDS to address this. This is horrible, terrible, gross. What's worse is that while enjoying our Skyline, no fewer than 4 employees in Supervisor attire were nearby standing, talking, walking by, etc... addressed nothing.  I didn't take a picture of the Brew House mens room... which I felt like my hands would have been cleaner had I NOT washed them. Water all over the floor.

If I were to do a piece on the 10 dirtiest parks in the amusement and theme park industry, Kings Island makes the list. It’s sad because for decades it was among the top 10 cleanest parks.

[Hawaiian Coasters 325]

1 hour ago, Outdoor Man said:

The park NEEDS to address this. This is horrible, terrible, gross. What's worse is that while enjoying our Skyline, no fewer than 4 employees in Supervisor attire were nearby standing, talking, walking by, etc... addressed nothing.  I didn't take a picture of the Brew House mens room... which I felt like my hands would have been cleaner had I NOT washed them. Water all over the floor.

That's not acceptable and the fact employees in uniform were around just yapping and not doing anything about it makes it worse! Those employees need to be disciplined! When I worked there ride ops weren't allowed to leave at the end of the night until the entire perimeter of our ride area was clear of any trash or debris. And the area supervisors would hold cleaning audits after park close and if they found just one little candy wrapper, your ride crew failed! Cleanliness was one of the major cornerstones when I worked there and I hope it still is! I think the park needs to have this brought to their attention as I know upper management does not tolerate stuff like this. I know someone last year posted a massive rant on a facebook group of Festhaus being filthy and not long after they brought people over to clean it. We know the park reads the facebook groups. 

Also I think guests need to take a part in this too. When you're done eating, clean up after yourselves and throw your trash away! 

[BeeastFarmer]

Behind and on the counter is on the employees 100%. 

Tables, floors etc are still on the employees, but as @Hawaiian Coasters 325said, patrons should do their part and clean up after themselves.  You can say what you want about the under 18 children, but this entitlement rears it's ugly head up to the boomers.  And it's not isolated to KI, look at hotel room check outs, restaurants and shopping carts. It's all pure laziness. 

In 2020 and 2021, I would had much more empathy for things like this .  But those years are way behind and the company wants to lean staff and make the parks "comfortably (very) crowded."

[Outdoor Man]

41 minutes ago, Hawaiian Coasters 325 said:

That's not acceptable and the fact employees in uniform were around just yapping and not doing anything about it makes it worse! Those employees need to be disciplined! When I worked there ride ops weren't allowed to leave at the end of the night until the entire perimeter of our ride area was clear of any trash or debris. And the area supervisors would hold cleaning audits after park close and if they found just one little candy wrapper, your ride crew failed! Cleanliness was one of the major cornerstones when I worked there and I hope it still is! I think the park needs to have this brought to their attention as I know upper management does not tolerate stuff like this. I know someone last year posted a massive rant on a facebook group of Festhaus being filthy and not long after they brought people over to clean it. We know the park reads the facebook groups. 

Also I think guests need to take a part in this too. When you're done eating, clean up after yourselves and throw your trash away! 

I agree. Guests are gross. People do things at the park that they would NEVER do anywhere else.  That said, there's no discipline in keeping areas clean by employees either. I mean, does Skyline know one of their locations has a serving area that looks like this?  I agree with Don; Kings Island was a near-benchmark of cleanliness for YEARS; one season changed that perception.

[BeeastFarmer]

@Outdoor Man, Skyline could know if you posted the photo on their social pages. 

[Outdoor Man]

28 minutes ago, BeeastFarmer said:

@Outdoor Man, Skyline could know if you posted the photo on their social pages. 

I, personally, wouldn't do that. I'll post it here; I know park employees have a working familiarity of the posts that show up on this site. I'll post pictures here and give someone who works "back stage" a chance to address. I don't have an ax to grind with KI, SF, etc... just want them to do better!  And, while I'm at it- REPLACE THE BURNT OUT BULBS LINING THE BUILDINGS ON I-STREET

[DJSkyFoxx]

4 hours ago, rexpostal said:

Also,  I'm CPI trained and on our Crisis Response Team.  I've dealt with kids in their most extreme and difficult moments.  I work in a school currently that has the wealthiest families per capita and they have the exact same issues I had in the school with Title I funding for being the highest poverty school per capita.  Sure,  there are times poor parenting is to blame for student struggles,  but that is not the case most of the time.  From my 15 years of experience working hands on with children.  

Now,  when I was an intake officer and licensed probation officer working at the juvenile detention center,  many of those kids had difficult family situations,  but that is a very small percentage of the youth population being arrested and brought to the detention center.  I would not extrapolate the issues I saw at the detention center to the regular issues happening in schools and the like.  

Cool. Let it go and move on. K thx. 

[johnjniehaus]

4 hours ago, DonHelbig said:

If I were to do a piece on the 10 dirtiest parks in the amusement and theme park industry, Kings Island makes the list. It’s sad because for decades it was among the top 10 cleanest parks.

Now that's an article I'd like to read, Don. Would love to see one of top 10 dirty and top 10 clean

[Losantiville Mining Co.]

The worst part is that cleaning like this is a simple training issue that can be solved with a bucket, a rag, and a command to wipe the trash from the table/counter into the bucket. Sweeping is a little harder since you can't carry around a broom/dustpan as easily. It would be best if the park hired more dedicated custodial staff (dedicated as in specific, not dedicated as in better). That might actually be coming sooner than you think as (from what I've heard) Six Flags just increased their capex budget specifically for maintenance and park services. John Reilly really wants to improve the guest experience beyond what it has been for the last few years — I hope we can see some good benefits from that at Kings Island.

[Hawaiian Coasters 325]

^^Can he also please increase the staffing budget for the drink stands and the smaller food stands like Meteor Canteen, Pig Pen's Mess Hall, and Wishbone Grill so they can be open more often?! Drink stands specifically. It is hard to have increased guest throughput when the Tower Drinks and 2 out of the 3 Rivertown drink stands are almost always closed bc that backs up the lines at the ones that are open. 

[Losantiville Mining Co.]

I really wish they could just move one associate from one of the five alcohol stands in Rivertown over to the Coke Freestyle. The bar by Diamondback already needs to go back to being a food stand, so maybe that one? I think they should put a new grill location there since they removed the hot dog from Jukebox Diner and the Brewhouse.

 

Speaking of Rivertown, is there anything y'all think the park could do to improve the ambiance of the area that won't cost a million dollars? My vote would be a queue building for Diamondback and more trees/natural foliage. I feel like there has to be something they could do beyond that, though. I'd love to see more river-related theming as well.

[BeeastFarmer]

1 hour ago, Losantiville Mining Co. said:

I really wish they could just move one associate from one of the five alcohol stands in Rivertown over to the Coke Freestyle. The bar by Diamondback already needs to go back to being a food stand, so maybe that one? I think they should put a new grill location there since they removed the hot dog from Jukebox Diner and the Brewhouse.

 

Speaking of Rivertown, is there anything y'all think the park could do to improve the ambiance of the area that won't cost a million dollars? My vote would be a queue building for Diamondback and more trees/natural foliage. I feel like there has to be something they could do beyond that, though. I'd love to see more river-related theming as well.

If they want to stay true to Diamondback's theme, the would need to remove the "Ohio greenery" look and add lots of bare dirt with plantings from the Sonoran desert.... prickly pear cactus, saguaro cactus, chaparral, mesquite trees, cholla cactus, and Palo Verde trees.