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So now that the dust has settled, or hopefully started to at least, my thoughts in no particular order: The ONLY misdirection by the park here was holding the announcement on National Roller Coaster Day, but even that was justified by also being the anniversary of the date the old 'tiques closed. Anyone who thinks the park deliberately misled them is deluding themselves. I don't get the mentality by some "enthusiasts" (scare quotes for a reason) that the park is obligated to put in a big new roller coaster every year and that they have to complain loudly when the park does something else. Enthusiasts are only one demographic, and a pretty small demographic. Families pay the park's bills. And on that note, this is something the whole family can do together. My 67-year-old dad, when he saw it, said "finally, something I can ride!" My 64-year-old mom is excited for it too. This is something parents and grandparents can ride. That is important. Although my parents took me to Paramount's Kings Island a few times as a kid in the mid-90s, I have almost no memories of the park in those days. But one that has stuck with me is riding the antique cars, and how I was scared of the big rides but loved the scenery and driving the cars. So yes, I'm excited for it too. It's childhood nostalgia for me. It's awesome to see the park correcting the biggest mistakes made by Viacom. First we got flying scooters again (even if they aren't as good as the originals), and now 'tiques. I can finally begin to forgive Viacom for the travesty of what we now call Backlot Stunt Coaster. Although it wasn't announced, I hope Racer gets some substantial track work and refurbishment, including a paint job. Such routine things aren't generally announced this far in advance or at a big public presentation like this. Much more likely that it would just be a post on the park's blog around February or something like that talking about it, perhaps even with pictures of the partially completed work.

We sometimes bring my parents along on bring-a-friend Sunday's. They're mid-70's, and will absolutely love letting our tweens get behind the wheel and take them for a spin. Something fun for them to do with their grand-children, and a better guest experience for them and their grand-kids. And the park will have some extra spenders in the park as a result. Win-win-win.

Most of the people I know are happy about it. When you have a place attended by so many people, there are always going to be those that complain when they do not get what they want every time. That doesn't mean that most people do not like it. There are always going to be those who want nothing but thrill rides and you could give them a new thrill ride 4 years in a row, and if they don't get it the 5th year, they will complain. I think this represents a small percentage though. I love coasters as much as anyone, but I love variety. Amusement parks used to be about variety. I like to see a park have some nice, quality adult non-thrill rides to add some variety to the day. This addition certainly adds to the variety at the park. It is the type of attraction that also, with its landscaping, makes the park more attractive and scenic to look at.

It has been two days since the big announcement. I was hoping for a bigger plan being announced that included into the 2020 season. After thinking about it I am very pleased with the direction that has been chosen. At first I was disappointed for selfish reasons, but when I informed my children they were very excited. Just a few weeks ago we were at Cedar Point for the first time, and they drove the antique cars there, three times. I never thought they would enjoy them because they are such coaster fans. Now looking at it through their eyes, and the park needing a reason to get people excited for upcoming seasons I cannot wait until I am driven around the course by my children. Good move Kings Island to please the families, and people who do not or cannot enjoy the wilder rides. I think it will bring a lot of life back to a section of the park that needs it.

On Wednesday there was an announcement for Thursday. That's all the park was responsible for with creating hype. Not sure what constitutes attention. Social media makes keeping anything secret impossible. As stated in my post a few pages back. Kings Island had nothing to do with creating hope that a coaster was coming leading up to the announcement. The posters/teasers were not made by anyone at Kings Island.

First things first, I am so unbelievably giddy upon news of the 'Tiques returning to the Island. Secondly, now I feel a weird suspicion as if this addition is part of a multi-phase expansion that would see the addition of a brand new area to the park where Dinosaurs Alive! once stood. See crude blue-sky plans below. Essentially a path reaching from Firehawk's exit/photo booth that snakes around the maintenance buildings almost mirroring the maintenance road and merging into the former path of DA. The original entrance to DA would serve as the second access point to the new area, with the entrance/exit to Antique Autos at its mouth. Another crazy idea is to re-purpose the former Action Theater into a dark ride (*cough*Phantom Theater RIP[Reconstruction In Progress]*cough*) and have its own path connecting to both the new area and Action Theater's former exit beside Windy Seeker. Two flat rides go in (one for X-Base and one for the new land), install a new bathroom across from Flight of Fear (where Chaos/Board 2 Death Haunt maze is now) and the roller coaster, of course, lies within most of DA to do its coaster thing. Oh, and a gift shop and eating place.

^This, exactly. I brought my parents a couple of weeks ago, 83 and 76. They enjoyed the train, Boo Blasters and the Eiffel Tower. They were glad when I told them the cars are coming back.

I love this! I can't wait to see how Coney Mall will look next year with the Antique Cars. Hopefully, this trend of revivals continues and, dare I say, brings about the return of a certain Maestro and his theater. A little wishful thinking is healthy. Les Taxi lives again!

I personally hope it gets removed. The other buildings used strictly for haunt are more hidden from the main paths, Blackout is behind a fence, Urgent Scare back in the old theatre inside The Racer turnaround, the crypt building is obvious but it isn't a clear sign of haunt. Whereas Killmart is right on the main strip of Coney Mall and it just looks bad with it being a large boarded up building made to look dilapidated. It is a decent theme and a newer house but think it would be better served to be revamped in another area.

One big benefit as others have mentioned is that it gives something that kids and grandparents are able to do outside of Planet Snoopy. One other benefit of having something to entice grandparents is that they will potentially spend more money on food and beverage as well as buying souvenirs for their grandkids. This could be as good of a low cost big return attraction that the park could have done.

Name: King Cobra Location: Action Zone In addition, after riding Time Traveler at Silver Dollar City in May I would fully support something like that coming to KI. For people who are concerned about us already having one multi-launch, I would say that Time Traveler and BLSC are completely different type of experiences from each other.

I’m sure he wasn’t coaxed into saying that. He probably just saw the ads and thought it would be funny. Ive also heard: ”Can I have a burrito?” ”Can I at least have something to eat?” ...as well as him acting like he was crying. EDIT: Check this out...

Name: Snoopy Kart Double Dash Location: Vortex

Very happy to see this get added... They're fun, and can be ridden by almost anyone... Glad they went with the steerable version...

That part of the park was always dead in my opinion and wasted a ton of potential space. I'm happy they're finally doing something with that as well as taking care of the Flight Commander pad that was just sitting there. It would have been, "uncomfortable" if they decided to keep the pad and add a new flat ride there, especially considering what happened back in 1991. I've asked this question on the Haunt 2018 thread, but do you guys think Killmart will be gone after this year or do you think the cars will coexist with the current building?

^I was thinking about what area of the park it would be nice to add a fountain or something similar, looked at Google Earth and the only place that doesn't really have anything is Coney Mall. A few days later we have the 2019 Antique Car's returning, with nice landscaping, water features and a bridge and more!!! It sounds like Kings Island is going to try and make the new car ride as close to Les Taxis as they can, I think we're in for a treat!

Next will we see recaR ehT return? Hope so! Wouldn’t it be wonderful to see a multi-use lighting package for The Racer? The coaster track with a lighting package similar to I-Street would be a beautiful addition to late night fireworks!

Perfect! Thanks, everyone!

Rivertown Freestyle!

I'm assuming this location will replace Battle Creek Barbecue, which is near the area pictured in the artwork for Boathouse Grill. The food at Battle Creek Barbecue is really good, especially the brisket, though the building itself is dated. The new facility should be a big improvement, but I'm always a little sad to see a unique park building replaced by a more generic one. Here's a picture from CPFoodBlog for reference: Photo: CPFoodBlog: http://cpfoodblog.com/park-food-guides/worlds-of-fun-dining-guide/worlds-of-fun-battle-creek-barbeque/

I can’t wait to see the Antique Cars used for Haunt and Winterfest! I think it’s a great move on KIs part. It’s entertainment for all ages!

Don't confuse the fanboys who look at all evidence to the contrary and still believe whatever they want to happen is going to happen, then get upset at the park for "leading them on", with actual enthusiasts. The former may be louder and more obnoxious but they are a very small fraction of Coaster and theme park enthusiasts. In this case, the seasoned enthusiasts tried to explain to the fanboys that their "proof" of SoB returning was just an artist at Cedar Point having a little fun putting Easter egg references to other parks in his theming posters, some wood that was added by a ride op, and several logos that are scattered around Kings Island, all of which have been there at least a year and some for several years. That SoB is a dark mark on Kings Island history. That since the entire structure has been removed (and was never as structurally sound as it would need to be) that they weren't going to make an RMC SoB (if they do eventually build a ground-up RMC, why would they continue to reference a failed ride?!) While the enthusiasts were trying to convince them to calm down and actually think about it, they did the equivalent of sticking their fingers in their ears shouting "I'm not listening!" And now, that it should be clear that sensibly this was never going to happen, they're yelling at the park for raising their expectations, and still holding out hope that next year they'll get what they want. It gets really tiring after a few years of seeing this cycle, and giving too much attention to the ridiculousness makes actual coaster enthusiasts look like idiots by association. The vast majority of coaster and theme park enthusiasts understand that it is ultimately a business, and Kings Island ideally is going to make the decisions they believe make sense from a business standpoint. The rumors last year made it very clear that a large population (not just a few so-called-enthusiasts) missed the antique cars, and bringing them back would be a popular decision with many park attendees (and not for nothing, it is a relatively inexpensive addition). I personally believe that it is also a continuation of laying the groundwork of infrastructure in Coney Mall that is leading up to a new Giga that will be around the old Dinos Alive area. I think it would make business sense for the park, and it also happens to mesh with my personal aesthetic belief that is where a Giga "belongs" if the park adds one. But, if I'm wrong, I'm certainly not going to blame the park for "getting my expectations up" with all of these Coney Mall improvements. I'm happy to see the improvements for their own sake.

We've seen the return of The Bat, Eagles (sort of), Winterfest, and now the Antique Cars. What other attractions do you think Kings Island should bring back in some form or another? It could be anything from the Taft era, to old fearfest attractions- anything you can think of that would benefit the park! For me I think Der Spinnen Keggers would be awesome as well as Kenton's Cove, (in the current form of Congo Falls).

I could definitely NOT see such a thing. Why do so many people want to see the park do this? Why would the park resurrect anything related to a ride that sent two dozen people to the hospital and is generally a giant black eye for the park? I daresay nobody in the coaster industry is even willing to be associated with that name at this point. Son of Beast is dead and buried, as proven by the tombstone in the Banshee queue. Let it rest in peace. Please.

Currently at Canada’s Wonderland, reported by @CPFoodBlog

Judging by the line 'Controlled Center Guide Rail slip clutch steering prevents abuse', yes they are as you term it 'driveable'...

I'm 99.99% sure it'll stay on the right side of The Racer (red side) the entire time. I highly doubt they'd go on the other side because of the maintenance road.

Dino's closed last year and were removed this year. It hasn't been stated if the cars will go in that area or not.

Ok i have a stupid question(only because busy year so haven't got to go since very early season). Some have said its going where dinos were. Did they close down the dinos this year?

The dialogue there has been switched up a few times. When I saw it a couple weeks ago, that line was "We shoulda went to Kings Island." With 2019 passes now on sale, I'm not surprised that they decided to change it to that.

^especially since parks like Cedar Point only allow one visit and Wonderland not valid for Haunt for the promotion...if the free entry for 2018 were consistent across the chain then maybe, but that isn't the case

You are correct in it being relatively inexpensive, the actual ride system, in which is the cars is only in the range of $15-20,000, (depending on how many cars they buy) and the land clearing, concrete restructuring/ new pouring (if they end up using some of Dino's path) would only be another $30-70,000, overall really not bad, of they can keep it under 100,000 overall for the ride that's a major gain, esspecialy in the attendance gain they'll get!

Think Der Spinning Keggers would be a great addition to Okoberfest, and be a new flat ride that we don't have in our current line up. Biggest return I would love though is Phantom Theatre. It was a great dark ride and Scooby and Boo Blasters are terrible compared.

awesome thanks.

There are three endings, and you were lucky because the tree is the rarest of the them. If you don't mind being spoiled on the other two, look below:

I think the love for SOB come not from the ride itself, but from the idea of the idea. SOB was a ride that tried to do something very ambitious ( a looping wooden hypercoaster for Gods sake!). It was something unique and special, even if in reality it was a terrible ride. There has never been another coaster to match the pure ambition of SOB. Rides like Diamondback and Banshee are great rides, and are among the best (if not the best) in their respective families. Any enthusiast who lists the best inverts or best hypers will include these rides in their top 10. As good as these rides are, there is no ambition in them, and there is nothing to make them really stand out as a landmark attraction. In KI's history, there have been several hugely ambition projects. Some of them have worked out, other not so much. The Racer was honestly a risk when it was built, but its legacy is the second golden are of roller coasters. The original bat was a risk that failed, but its legacy is seen on every coaster that does not sit on the top of the track. The Beast, when it was built, was by far the most ambitious roller coaster ever built, and its success has had an unmeasurable impact on the coaster industry as a whole. SOB was not a good ride, but it was a true spiritual successor to The Beast. It tried something that was beyond the scope of what had been viewed as possible before. When people ask for SOB to return, they are not asking for a return of the rough, painful, and arguably boring ride that the SOB actually was, they are asking for KI to once again attempt to do something that pushes the limits and cannot be found anywhere else. Right now, the only experience that you can have at KI that cannot be replicated elsewhere is The Beast. Sure, Banshee is the longest invert, and Diamondback is the only one with a splashdown, and Mystic is an all around great ride, but these alone do not set KI apart from any other park. The "Bring back SOB" crowd is longing to make KI something special again, and not simply "just another park"

I don’t know, I am really concerned about the pacing of this new ride. Especially the 2nd half.

Information about today's announcement and the proposed teaser posters. Please read the following KIC admin information. The park only posted there would be an announcement today. You got a 24hrs notice. A social media invite 24 hrs in advance is not hype. By the way, did you see any other type of teasers at the announcement today? Speaking of the teasers, anything out there has nothing to do with anyone holding an official position at Kings Island. Any posters/teasers out there that points back to Outpost 5 and Kings Island hints is creative marketing use of other CF properties. These are no hidden/intended messages about an SOB coaster. Lastly, this is a thread about the Kings Mills Antique Autos. Please stay on topic. Thanks!

I’m pretty sure I’m responsible for the crappy weather. Today was visit 29. Rained 24 of the 29 times. Lol Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Well, this document is very interesting. I would say I am about 90% sure we are getting a B&M in 2020. Is it the long-rumored Giga? Possibly. Could also be... Dive Coaster: These things are GP magnets, Valravn at Cedar Point is crazy popular (it drew a ton of people away from Millennium Force when it re-opened on a Friday when I was there, Millie's wait dropped from 90 minutes to 45 almost as soon as Valravn when up) and they are not as expensive as other B&M models, so I would not be 100% shocked if Kings Island got one, though they did just announce Yukon Striker for Canada's Wonderland and Valravn is in the same state and is still pretty new, and they may not wanna undercut Valravn's long term legs. Floorless Coaster: This is another option, though they would need to make it huge and do stuff Banshee does not do to keep the 2 from feeling too similar. However, it would not be much cheaper than the Giga, and since so many people seem to want a Giga, why not just go for that? Wing Coaster: The craze for these seems to have died down slightly in recent years, but this is still an option. They could also pull a Thunderbird on this (TBH Floorless too) and have it be launched, though Kings Island is pretty close to Holiday World and I imagine people would notice if KI ripped off Thunderbird. Also, this would also be fairly expensive and not too much cheaper than a Giga. B&M's other models are options, save for a Hyper and Invert since KI already has them, but the chances for any of those seem VERY low to me. There is also the option that KI gets a brand-new model of B&M, such as the rumored 4D coaster, but we would have nothing to speculate on that until construction started. If I was gonna bet, though, I'd go Giga. There have been enough requests for it, it was speculated for BOTH Banshee and Mystic Timbers by fans (some of whom got annoyed when it turned out those were a Invert and GCI Woodie) and it would be a HUGE draw to Kings Island. Millennium Force no longer needs protected, it will be 20 years old in 2020 (off-topic: I see MF becoming a ACE Landmark in 2020) and CP has new draws like Valravn, Steel Vengeance, and possibly their own new 2020 coaster. If KI and CP both get huge new coasters in 2020, it could draw people to BOTH parks, meaning even more money for Cedar Fair. It would also be a warning to Kentucky Kingdom not to step on KI's toes, since there are rumors about KK getting a hyper coaster. It just seems to make sense- though if we do get a Giga in 2020, I would not expect another big coaster for at least 4-5 years after, so not sure what the park would do for its 50th in 2022. Probably bring back Phantom Theater or something?

Make it wooded. Make it neat. Put in some water features, This could be cool.

Amen to that. Scrapping the originals for Stunt Coaster - or whatever its called now - was the utmost low-point in the parks history. I was praying he'd say that they were tearing it down and putting them back there... but I'll take them any way I can get them. This is a wise move by KI, and it absolutely warms my heart!

Somebody already has decided what they think is being added.

I frequently read these forums, but never post, but after reading the legal documents posted over on Coaster Nation, mentioning the list of contractors including B&M, i am starting to think today's announcement will be announcing a phased project. If you have not looked over said documents i suggest you do. The part that stood out to me is Section 8: "Take notice that labor or work is about to begin on or materials are about to be furnished" this is followed by exhibit A which has all of the surveying coordinates (bunch of mubo jumbo to me, but might make sense to some) So i believe today will announce a Racer refirb, addition of antique cars, and some hinting at a large project getting ready to start (B&M GIGA) which land preparation will be begin for soon, and last through next season, with the coaster opening in 2020. That is my guess anyways!

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RMC The Beast Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I am hoping that the free Fast Lane for renewals will be good on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend this year. I love using that Fast Lane when the park is packed.

Does anyone have a legit picture of the post at Cedar Point? The one posted is a real close up that you can see some sliver of a building. I'd like to see a clear shot of the building. Like everyone else said, if this poster really is at Cedar Point, then the comments from the rep at KI might be true ("Park spokesman Chad Showalter told WCPO, "We have nothing to do with the speculation you are reporting on.")", but the CP rep sounds fishy (a spokesman for Cedar Point, Tony Clark, told us, "Cedar Point does not comment on rumor or speculation. Fun stuff, though, isn't it?"). Saying "we don't comment on rumor and speculation" is not the same as saying "It isn't true". They are totally hinting at something, and they WANT people to hype up over it. What gets more hype than a bunch of hilarious conspiracy speculation stories?

Additional questions answered by Chad Showalter at Kings Island. Thanks Chad for answering these! 1. Will the band organ on the Grand Carousel be fixed anytime soon? By the reports I’ve received, the band organ works, although there are times throughout the season when it may temporarily not work. Check out this story about Mikey Mills, and his pain-staking efforts to get the band organ working again from 2015 https://www.cincinnati.com/story/entertainment/2015/09/08/kings-island-wurlitzer-band-organ-carousel/71642452/ 2. Any plans to give Viking Fury some long over due TLC? I love the Viking Fury, and it’s one of the first attractions I rode at Kings Island. I even remember eating at the Bier Garten with my family in the Fall of 1981 when it was being constructed across the lake. Personally, I like the ‘old theme park’ feel that Viking Fury has, but I know that park leadership addresses painting, refurbishment, etc. by prioritizing each attraction by its need. Unfortunately, it’s a living document that can change multiple times throughout a season or year, so it’s not something that we make public. 3. Any chance that Kings Island could start selling those big giant fun size park maps that Cedar Point sells for $1.99? It is something we’ve talked about. I would not be surprised if it’s something we offered in the future. 4. Where do you store all the Winterfest stuff?’ WinterFest items can be found all over the park, behind the scenes. From buildings be constructed just to house the decorations, to previously unused areas, our team has done a great job making sure that all WinterFest materials, décor, props and more are safe during the offseason. 5. Is there a list of attractions/shows that were in the Kings Island theater? If so, can that be shared? The information is available, but unfortunately, it’s not compiled into one document.

What is this I keep hearing about the mighty Beast being shut down over a freaking raccoon? Unless said racoon’s name is Rocket this is just ridiculous. Even Woodstock Express should have no problem easily dispatching a raccoon.