2026 Q2 Report

[Tr0y]

Unless more property’s are sold. I can’t envision Six Flags avoiding bankruptcy at this point. Too little too late to be jacking the prices up to what it is so far for the 2027 season. Not suggesting what they are asking for is wrong per se but doubling the price on add ons is going to be a hard pill to swallow for most folks. This price point should have been achieved by steadily increasing the prices on these add-ons and passes since post-covid when the parks saw a boom. But the past is the past and I hope this works out for them. Considering Legacy SF attempted to jack up their prices only to reverse course doesn't give me much hope that it will.

 

[RollerColt]

I’m a teacher, so in terms of large scale corporate business practices I’m probably lesser compared to the rest of you… but I just wonder how bad of an idea the whole “buy a pass and get in anywhere across the country” was for the company as a whole? 
 

I mean, I’m sure it was great for those who had the passes, but wouldn’t this type of model cause parks to lose potential revenue via missed general tickets? I imagine with so many guests coming into without needing general entry that had to add up over time…

[Losantiville Mining Co.]

I think it's generally an unwise business practice, though I also have a feeling that the company does not lose out on that much money all things considered. The type of people who are likely to visit parks in more than two regions are also probably the type who are willing to spend more in the parks. As with the rest of the season pass/membership sales I think seeing the numbers would help us understand a lot. 

The current leadership team probably does see the looming hand of bankruptcy coming down at some point and could be working to lead the company away from it. John Reilly especially is trying to at least improve the guest experience with what he has. If that leads to Six Flags declaring bankruptcy even after the quality upgrades then that's what will happen. We'll see corporate reorganization, parks sold off, and maybe even some parks closed. In that case I just hope Kings Island can be part of a new company instead of being handed over to Herschend. They're too big for what they need to be IMO. Their hands are in too many pots for them to hold any more big ones. If Six Flags ends up selling more parks, I don't think it would be until 2028. Unless they want a repeat of 2026 with the sale of 7 parks it just doesn't seem like a good idea if they can help it.

All of this said, my field is creative arts and planning so I'm also not the most in-the-know about good business practices. I just call it as I see it.

[robintodd]

On 8/6/2026 at 5:32 PM, beastfan11 said:

Passes and meal plans, etc. were too cheap. Maybe this could (in hindsight) be looked at as an over correction a year or two from now, but the reality of of the situation is that they spent years giving away the gate, handing out meal plans for a “dime,” and watched as the masses poured in. It’s not so much that the majority of passholders “abused” the situation, but it’s obvious, post merger, that that model is not sustainable in this new Six Flags reality.

Seen plenty of plenty of negative reactions online about this today. These are a lot of the same folks who bragged about much “advantage” they got out of their pass, dining/drink plan, etc. Interpret that however you want. Theres a balance. 

At the end of the day, the situation is what it is. Between the merger and the ultimate  failed strategy of passholder add-ons,  cheap passes, and whatever… things have changed. The price of gold/prestige passes have, for a long time, been priced way under what they should have, market value be darned.  Look no further than the returns, reaction, and overall value when it comes to attendance vs. in-park spending. Whether it’s Disney or Six Flags, less can be more if/when it comes to attendance if guest are still spending money. And in many cases, guests are still willing to renew and pay regardless. That being a good or bad thing is certainly up for debate.

Trimming the fat, increasing prices, etc., I hope would/will result in a higher quality output in terms of new additions, cleanliness, added events, and more. 

Look no further than Haunt. Sure, it’s an upcharge now when it historically wasn’t, but the quality of the event been better, right? I mean… Conjuring? Order of the Dragon? The reported $60k investment in the new Jason maze?  Not to mention the concerns about crowds, clientele, and beyond. I personally don’t want to see anyone out-priced from visiting KI the same way I want to be able to take my family to Disneyland without selling a kidney. But it’s hypocritical to celebrate the perceived value of season passes, drink and meal plans, perks, etc., and then turn around and complain about crowds, added retail/alcohol sales, increased prices, lack of non, thrilling “thoosie additions.” 

I don’t care for the majority of any of these changes. But I’m personally willing to let my dollar go farther when it comes to the overall park experience, given the current status of the chain as a whole. And ironically, it’s not all bad. Look at the aforementioned Haunt experience, PT:OE, certain food experiences, operations… I mean, it’s stellar. But that’s not to say there hasn’t been a handful of miserable fails over the last season or two. Because there are plenty.

At the end of the day, I hate to come across like a fanny pack wearing, apologist, thoosie chud. but looking at this as an opportunity to “right the ship” and increase quality as a whole could be for the best. If corporate is committed to that. That’s a big “If.” Who knows. Shareholders are weird. Business is weird. 

Eh. I don’t know, gang. It’s ultimately irrelevant in the grand scheme of it all, in life, and everything. This is what’s supposed to make me happy….
 

 

 

More importantly, what’s your favorite seat on Adventure Express? I need some levity and optimism. 

I agree with your points but theres one issue.  Renewals for season passes are STILL $99.  They didn't up the prices.  IMO the renewal should have been $120-140 and the non-renewals $20 more to help the "giving away the gate" situation.  Season long dining plan at 399 is a bit steep.  I could see this price coming down to 299 by christmas once they see how they are selling. (I would pay 299, but find it hard to justify at 399).  Evreything else is prices well (if they raised prestige cost why didn't they raise gold???)  Prestige went from $200 to $279 however looking closer it now includes the drink plan ($40 plus renewal gets a bring a freind pass (don't need) and a $20 credit (MUST BE USED BY 9/7/2026!).  so I look at it as a $19 increase.  Looking further you can upgrade the drink plan to the drink plan plus (icees, coffee and hot chocolate) for an additional $15 so looks like I'll be in at the Prestige at 294 all in.  This season I've never not found a VIP parking spot nor have I seen the VIP lounge full.  Granted I tend not to go on days when it will be extremly crowded but by them pricing Prestige for an additional $100 last year they did convert me and I find it to be a great value.

[robintodd]

8 hours ago, RollerColt said:

I’m a teacher, so in terms of large scale corporate business practices I’m probably lesser compared to the rest of you… but I just wonder how bad of an idea the whole “buy a pass and get in anywhere across the country” was for the company as a whole? 
 

I mean, I’m sure it was great for those who had the passes, but wouldn’t this type of model cause parks to lose potential revenue via missed general tickets? I imagine with so many guests coming into without needing general entry that had to add up over time…

The way I look at it is since I've hadd Platinum/All-Park/Prestige I've been to Cedar Point (I go every year and always stay at Breaksers, eat at Bay Harbor and Tomos, etc. so I'm spending money to SIX)  Carowinds, Knotts and Six Flags Over Texas. Each time I visited the other parks besides CP I've spent money on magnets, shirts, etc.  I believe others would do the same, because KI (and to a point CP) are my home parks I don't tend to spend at them.  I would think that people who go to other parks also get some kind of keepsake that otherwise they wouldn't get.  "I didn't spend anything to get into this park so might as well get something to remember the trip by." kind of thinking.

[RollerColt]

1 hour ago, robintodd said:

The way I look at it is since I've hadd Platinum/All-Park/Prestige I've been to Cedar Point (I go every year and always stay at Breaksers, eat at Bay Harbor and Tomos, etc. so I'm spending money to SIX)  Carowinds, Knotts and Six Flags Over Texas. Each time I visited the other parks besides CP I've spent money on magnets, shirts, etc.  I believe others would do the same, because KI (and to a point CP) are my home parks I don't tend to spend at them.  I would think that people who go to other parks also get some kind of keepsake that otherwise they wouldn't get.  "I didn't spend anything to get into this park so might as well get something to remember the trip by." kind of thinking.

That’s fair, thanks for your insight! 

[disco2000]

3 hours ago, robintodd said:

I agree with your points but theres one issue.  Renewals for season passes are STILL $99.  They didn't up the prices.  IMO the renewal should have been $120-140 and the non-renewals $20 more to help the "giving away the gate" situation.  Season long dining plan at 399 is a bit steep.  I could see this price coming down to 299 by christmas once they see how they are selling. (I would pay 299, but find it hard to justify at 399).  Evreything else is prices well (if they raised prestige cost why didn't they raise gold???)  Prestige went from $200 to $279 however looking closer it now includes the drink plan ($40 plus renewal gets a bring a freind pass (don't need) and a $20 credit (MUST BE USED BY 9/7/2026!).  so I look at it as a $19 increase.  Looking further you can upgrade the drink plan to the drink plan plus (icees, coffee and hot chocolate) for an additional $15 so looks like I'll be in at the Prestige at 294 all in.  This season I've never not found a VIP parking spot nor have I seen the VIP lounge full.  Granted I tend not to go on days when it will be extremly crowded but by them pricing Prestige for an additional $100 last year they did convert me and I find it to be a great value.

 

This exactly.

The GP on social media is losing their mind over the pricing.  Tons of "Six Flags just costed my family out of attending the park".

No they didn't.

The price is the same/lower than it has been in recent years.

These parks existed with many more years of operation without pass add-ons.

What did people do prior to 2014 (when season long meal plans were introduced or 2017 for season long FL).  You either bought overpriced park food, ate before/after you visited, packed food and went out to the car, and stayed in regular lines.

That is all still available to the guest at the price of admission last year.

The park is not implementing a "two meal minimum" LOL (a play on requirements of some comedy clubs).  You can still get in for the price you used to.

And while not perfect, the meal plan offerings still provide a meal cheaper than you can get a meal at an outside restaurant.

Unless the majority of passholders actually vote with their wallet and not buy a pass and refuse to visit next year, this will likely result in an increase in revenue as people skip the meal plans and then buy the occasional meal or snack that they were not buying when on the cheaper meal plans.

As someone else mentioned above, this could be the long term correction the parks actually need if they can sustain the potential short term hit and not knee-jerk reaction lower the prices.

But if they do as history shows and for 2028 drop all the prices tremendously, they will never recover.

[DonHelbig]

When it comes to season-pass value, the lowest price doesn’t always mean the best deal. Dollywood, Holiday World and Kennywood continue to stand out to me because of what guests get beyond rides: friendly guest service, clean and well-maintained parks, strong seasonal events and an overall sense that the guest experience matters. There’s also something to be said for integrity—delivering an experience that matches what was promised and making visitors feel valued after they’ve spent their money.

[KI Guy]

3 hours ago, disco2000 said:

What did people do prior to 2014 (when season long meal plans were introduced or 2017 for season long FL).

Enjoy a superior offering to what they get now.

[Tr0y]

3 hours ago, disco2000 said:

 

This exactly.

The GP on social media is losing their mind over the pricing.  Tons of "Six Flags just costed my family out of attending the park".

No they didn't.

The price is the same/lower than it has been in recent years.

These parks existed with many more years of operation without pass add-ons.

What did people do prior to 2014 (when season long meal plans were introduced or 2017 for season long FL).  You either bought overpriced park food, ate before/after you visited, packed food and went out to the car, and stayed in regular lines.

That is all still available to the guest at the price of admission last year.

The park is not implementing a "two meal minimum" LOL (a play on requirements of some comedy clubs).  You can still get in for the price you used to.

And while not perfect, the meal plan offerings still provide a meal cheaper than you can get a meal at an outside restaurant.

Unless the majority of passholders actually vote with their wallet and not buy a pass and refuse to visit next year, this will likely result in an increase in revenue as people skip the meal plans and then buy the occasional meal or snack that they were not buying when on the cheaper meal plans.

As someone else mentioned above, this could be the long term correction the parks actually need if they can sustain the potential short term hit and not knee-jerk reaction lower the prices.

But if they do as history shows and for 2028 drop all the prices tremendously, they will never recover.

I think the new tiered meal plan is kind of smart given that they can set the price point correctly for each guest based on usage. The biggest issue for which I can see is creating confusion and causing backlash is that to the normal passholder who visits maybe 5-8 times a year don't count how many times they have redeemed a meal with their 2026 "unlimited meal plan". Therefor not realizing the 20-meal plan is for them. All they see is when it comes time to renew for 2027, they will think their dining plan price has gone up exponentially. Not realizing all they need is the 20-meal plan.

They should probably list on the website a better explanation on who which tiered plan is for. So, like the 20-meal plan is great for those who visit 6-10 times a year and the 30-meal plan is for those who visits 10-15 times. Assuming the average person eats 2-3 meals a visit.

[KI Guy]

48 minutes ago, Tr0y said:

I think the new tiered meal plan is kind of smart given that they can set the price point correctly for each guest based on usage. The biggest issue for which I can see is creating confusion and causing backlash is that to the normal passholder who visits maybe 5-8 times a year don't count how many times they have redeemed a meal with their 2026 "unlimited meal plan".

Correct me if I'm wrong but my understanding is that those who had a 2026 meal plan and renew for 2027 with a non-unlimited meal plan are already "on the clock" for their 2027 meal count. That is, any meal they eat in 2026 after renewing counts against their total number of meals for next year.

If true, THAT is without a doubt the biggest issue. Renewing your pass causes you to forfeit meals you already paid for. Totally asinine and dishonest.

[CedarPointer]

53 minutes ago, KI Guy said:

Correct me if I'm wrong but my understanding is that those who had a 2026 meal plan and renew for 2027 with a non-unlimited meal plan are already "on the clock" for their 2027 meal count. That is, any meal they eat in 2026 after renewing counts against their total number of meals for next year.

If true, THAT is without a doubt the biggest issue. Renewing your pass causes you to forfeit meals you already paid for. Totally asinine and dishonest.

It's not supposed to, but I've already seen complaints that the cashier is able to ring them up on the "wrong" dining plan and use one of their 20 or 30 meals instead of their 2026 dining plan.

[CoastersRZ]

And, I have heard that if you get the unlimited dining plan for 2027 added to your pass and you currently have a 2026 dining plan, you do not get the two hour interval and unlimited meals during the day until 2027.  However, if you out right purchase a new pass with the unlimited dining for 2027, you can start using that immediately this season.

On a family trip this July, we swung by Lost Island, in Waterloo, Iowa on a Saturday.  The park was dead when we were there.  Granted, it was in the mid-90s with high humidity. The park lacked shade, but all of the employees we encountered were extremely friendly.  We had our five kids with us, and the cashier told us to go get a table and sit when they finished making our pizza.  Then they brought the pizza out to our table, complete with paper plates for everyone to eat the pizza.  Upon leaving around 2pm (we drove back home to Cincinnati, after leaving), one of the workers told us as we were leaving "Thanks for coming out today.  We really appreciate you stopping by and enjoying the park today.  We know its hot.  We hope you had a fantastic time."  We felt like all the employees really cared about our experience and valued us being there.  Of all the parks we visited on that trip (Indiana Beach, Six Flags Great America, Mt. Olympus, Mall of America, and Valleyfair), we had the most fun at Lost Island.  We will definitely make a return visit to that park in the coming years.  Excited to see what else they have in store for that park.

As for Six Flags, I am encouraged by the direction that they are going.  However, the lack of open drink stands, being out of ice, etc. is certainly a big concern.  As is running rides like Cargo Loco with only one operator on a Thursday evening.  It takes forever for one operator to unload all of the cars.  I am encouraged by the comments that John Reilly made about wanting all the rides to be available for guests.  (It seemed like the last several years they started not having as big of an inventory of spare parts, so when something broke, there was a lengthy downtime while waiting for the replacement part to come in.  Hopefully that is fixed now).  And I am encouraged by the fact that several parks, including KI have park presidents again.  My hope is that Kings Island continues to see some kind of investment in new capital in the coming years.  The Vortex plot badly needs something.  And I still think a flat ride package like Carowinds got with Aeronautica Landing several years back would do wonders for KI.  Will that ever happen?  Who knows.  I hope KI gets something in the next couple of years.  But the debt level of SF is unsustainable at current levels.  Their main focus is on deleveraging.

If KI somehow ended up in the hands of Herschend, I would be thrilled.  They do own Newport Aquarium.  But as others have said, I wonder if they are stretched too thin with their recent purchase of the Palace Entertainment parks.  I often wonder if they will try and sell some of those off to someone else (Enchanted perhaps?) to focus on the more strategic parks.  They seem to be on the right track with Kentucky Kingdom.  But with them owning KK, I don`t know if they would ever be interested in owning KI.

[KI Guy]

12 minutes ago, CoastersRZ said:

They seem to be on the right track with Kentucky Kingdom.  But with them owning KK, I don`t know if they would ever be interested in owning KI.

If they bought KI, they could very well sell KK. KK is a less than ideal situation. They don't own the land, there is a height limit and the scope of what the park will be able to draw compared to KI is limited. 

[super7]

As compared with the second quarter of 2025 on a Same-Park Basis:

 

Net loss attributable to Six Flags Entertainment Corporation was $194 million, compared with a net loss of $87 million.

 

This number is negative and includes one very important expense.   Interest on debt.     Which is eating up this company.   Not to mention that a profit and loss statement does not include any principal payments on that debt which affects cash flow.

[Losantiville Mining Co.]

5 hours ago, CoastersRZ said:

And, I have heard that if you get the unlimited dining plan for 2027 added to your pass and you currently have a 2026 dining plan, you do not get the two hour interval and unlimited meals during the day until 2027.  However, if you out right purchase a new pass with the unlimited dining for 2027, you can start using that immediately this season.

I'm a firm believer in the idea that 2027 add-ons should not work until 2027 (and so on in the future). Being able to get into the park(s) during 2026 with your new 2027 pass is admittedly a good perk to have, but, for example, guests should not be able to use their limited-meal dining plans until the year they were bought for. The company would then be able to avoid the confusion as to whether or not a 2026 pass is still used alongside a 2027 pass. 

As for the politeness of employees and quality of service I think most of Kings Island's issues could be resolved with a different management style. Maybe it will be better in 2027, but we won't know until then. One comparison I can make is between the perceived cultures of food service team members at Kings Island, Dollywood, and Chik-Fil-A. A common sentiment made online by Kings Island guests is that the dining staff is neither friendly nor unfriendly: that they're just going through the motions of the job. Dollywood famously has friendly staff that will interact with you during your visit, without feeling forced. Chik-Fil-A, on the other hand, also has famously friendly staff, but the interaction is mostly famous for the term "my pleasure" and feels a little plastic every time I hear it/about it. All three businesses pay about the same starting wages for food service (KI $15.50; DW $16.50; CFA $12-$17), but one doesn't emphasize friendliness in their training while the other two have made it part of their brand connotation. All of this to say that I think Kings Island's management and training teams could easily focus more on employee friendliness as long as they create a good work environment.

 

I can't remember if someone said it on here or another forum, but Herschend also does not take as good care of the parks not named Dollywood or Silver Dollar City. They've certainly been sprucing those parks up, though I'm not sure that we'll ever see Kennywood surpass Kentucky Kingdom in terms of quality. A fear of mine for Kings Island under an HFE ownership is that they would not put it on the same level as DW and SDC. If our beloved park leaves the Six Flags chain then I'd much prefer to see it start its own company with a few other parks. That might also help with the folks who think Six Flags/Cedar Fair should "de-merge" (as if that's a real option at this point). The company has not spent all of this time integrating itself just to say "oopsie" and split without a very good reason. The merger's "calm" year was originally predicted as being 2028 and I'd like to hope that everything will be a lot better by then.