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Precisely. Did I overpay staying at the Grand Helios for my family's stay at Epic Universe? Yes. Did I still do it and have a great experience? Also yes. Visiting Disney and Universal is extremely expensive. It's also amazing, and addicting. I'm already saving up to take my family back in 2 years. That's how much we adored the parks. I used to have that feeling with Kings Island. I didn't feel it this year for sure. I, as a consumer, am not saying I want us to be nickel and dimed and basically have our wallets stolen. I'm just saying we're okay with paying a bit more for better investments in quality.

Swoop was going to be the name. It would have been a good name, better logo.

"Dear Ms. Parton, have you ever been to Ohio?" I heard on a recent GreenTagged podcast that some of the decisions Six Flags made in 2025 are consistent with a company that is "cash poor" and needs cash now [Call JG Wentworth, 877-CASHNOW]. Someone who understands the above point would probably be willing/able to rake in cash while steering the company in a direction like a Herschend executive would.

Now that I've read everyone's responses, I have to say that I agree with most of the points made. I do think Kings Island could become more of a theme park with thrills as it currently exists, even if its clientele doesn't change. My definition of a thrilling theme park probably does not translate well into my posts: there's a reason why I used to keep my writings short before I joined KIC . I'd really enjoy if the park focused more on the theming of each area and the quality of both attractions and sightlines. Think more of how the park was from 1972-1992 rather than it being a park like Dollywood or Silver Dollar City. I'd love for it to become more like Dollywood in terms of theming and vibes, but I can see how that may be incompatible with the park in some ways. Good, comprehensive theming is what I think would improve Kings Island and elevate it to the next level as a truly regional park. Some theming elements don't require much upkeep from year to year, such as area entrance signs, stationary props, and ride theming. More buildings (facades, even), trees and water would greatly help Rivertown just as a return to the festival atmosphere would make Oktoberfest feel like a real land again. Thanks to everyone for your opinions! Rajun Cajun (in Action Zone) or the SteamWhirler (in the Saltwater Circus plot or along Coney Mall) would be my picks for moving. The odds aren't terribly high IMO, but Carowinds just got their own NebulaZ in Aeronautica Landing so I think KI could handle it.

In 1992 these signs appeared in the Adventure Village area of the park. Would they really tease the new attraction with part of the alleged name in the wording? Perhaps "Swoop" was just the code name for the attraction at the time?

If the Kings Island Theater is up for grabs this would be a great opportunity to put Swingin' Into Christmas or Yuletide Follies into a venue that better suits those productions and audiences that are actually interested in watching the shows.

Dang! That was my favorite show! I also loved Charlie Brown Christmas Spectacular and What the Dickens and they got rid of those too! Why do they axe all my favorite winterfest shows?!?

Well Paramount management absolutely desecrated all of the Taft parks. They left so much damage to the park atmospheres, the parks still have not recovered. Some parks will never recover like Kings Dominion where they removed. The train, the cable, skyway, dark rides, theaters, etc.. however they did not lead the parks down the trail of bankruptcy that is currently happening. So for the atmosphere of the parks itself, Cedar Fair was much better. But then they began all the cost-cutting that has led to the situation that the parks are in now, including the merger.

That theater deserves a full production show that showcases the performers full talents. Expanding Yuletide Follies in there with more dynamic choreography and production would be a good use of the theater. The venue for that show is horrible currently Tinkers toy factory had its place, but it definitely was not the premier show that belonged in the Premier location in the park

Yuletide Follies would work great in there if they can find a good way to use the set. I'd accept a lot of show ideas in there if they were able to use the set like Tinker's did. The outdoor shows that happen during Winterfest should either be kept smaller (in terms of the number of performers, like the Mistletones and Sounds of the Nativity), or should find a way to provide seating with some more heat lamps around them. A live-band show like Swingin' Into Christmas could also work in the KIT, but they'd need to find a way to fill that stage like they do the stage in the Festhaus.

My vote is Follies. That show was WASTED on the bandstand. Feel like they almost need to bring CoolYule back for a different vibe since follies, amSwingin’ and Mitletobes all have that same 40-50s vibe.

*gestures to things like the character dining at some Disney restaurants* You are spot on. It’s often expected that the more you pay, the better experience you’ll get. That’s an obvious standard.

Can we get someone from Herschend? I know it is family company not a public one, but they seem to have their stuff together.

The good thing about a boomerang is the small footprint they take up. I am not a big fan of Invertigo but don't want to loose another coaster.

I think six flags would want to take control and utilize their ( now) exclusive IP. No company to pay for it, etc. I don't know if PTE came with a new copyright/trademark for the IP or not. If it's never been assigned exclusively to them, who's to say that another operator cannot use it? Or that Mr. Balstrap wouldn't take control of his work and license it out. Think of the scale: all the boo blasters become phantom theater. Knotts replacement of Beary Tales. They let justice league dark rides licensing expire and take PT IP there. I mean, in a like manner, if my banana trees are producing great and plentiful fruit, why would I buy bananas at the Kroger store?

One thing for sure.. we cant be getting something in The Vortex, tomb raider, and the boo blaster locations the same year. And also.. whatever eventually comes.. I have a fear it will feel budget. (In some small way) Id hope we get the capacity of our original phantom theatre.. id love that IP to come back also but.. no matter what theme.. Please. Be. Good.

Haunt merch has dropped at KI! The skyline hoodie looks great, the 25 years design? Not so much.

I still think Polaris would've been a better name than Orion. Also, was the name "Splinter Cat" actually being considered for Mystic Timbers? I remember seeing that name a lot in the 2017 decoding thread, but thought it was mainly rumors.

Ive always felt with WF3.0 Tinkers was a second tier show. It was bad in Feshaus (too loud for a show with a plot) and "too important" in KITheatre. It would be ideal for Showplace if there were skateboard ramps all over the stage. That venue needs a revamp with a better roof, heaters and possible more "tiered" seating instead of the steep rake. Even a smaller version of the Peanuts thing would work there since it leads right in to Planet Buggs... I mean SNOOPY.

Since the parade used many characters from Tinkers, especially Santa, wonder if that means the Winterfest parade has been cut too? Guess we will have to watch if the floats start appearing out of storage this fall behind The Racer.

A show like Tinker's has actors, set pieces, and props all over the stage with most of them being used throughout the show. Yuletide Follies used the entire Bandstand stage with each of the tiers having either performers or set pieces that fill it out. I think the entire PTE stage is still there and most of it is used for Tinker's Toy Factory, it just looks different because it's covered in Christmas props. They might have added onto it more than that. Swingin' Into Christmas has the band on both tiers of the Festhaus stage, but they don't move during the show. There's only the 6 singer/dancers for that show as well who use the remaining open space of the stage. They would have too much space to work with on the KIT stage.

Do you mean use the stage? Like “fill the stage” I think you could by supplementing the ground units with some draping. Really they could bring over the big center tree as well and possibly add a few minor set pieces for each of the “acts”. Even reusing the large step unit from PTE if it still exists would anchor the space. Totally agree with the “outdoor smaller” idea, but any show outdoor -even small- should really provide seating/heat.

They have a streetcar that (I believe) they use for some of their parades, but I think they'd also use the Tricks and Treats Parade floats well. Shipping the floats and decorations around is probably better/cheaper than selling them to a place that can't use the Tricks and Treats name. I found it interesting that Magic Mountain and Discovery Kingdom both dropped the Six Flags name from their Tricks and Treats logos, just like how Great Adventure dropped the brand name from its Holiday in the Park last year (RIP) and from its Sweet Spot addition this year. Both Six Flags Over Texas and Fiesta Texas kept the brand name on their T&T logos. All four of the new Tricks and Treats logos also use the new style of logo where "Six Flags" and the park name are stacked directly on top of each other and are much closer in size. I'm salty that Kings Island will not be seeing our own version of Wake the Dead this Halloween season. The current setup of the stage in the Kings Island Theater would really just require the removal of the Gazillion Bubble Show decorations and the addition of the TV(s), casket, chairs, and maybe some extra props. The background could stay lowered (Cedar Point works with a smaller stage for the show) and the cast is limited. I think the only reasons KI doesn't have it is because Cedar Point has it (though we both had Country Crossroads this year) and because Kings Island was already supposed to receive three new things for the 2025 Haunt season.

Agreed, once a few years have settled I think things will be better, I felt the same after the Cedar Fair took over from Paramount.

I sure hope you're right about that! The sooner, the better. As for the topic, I think I'd rather have current Six Flags management based on where we sit now. I'd say it feels more like Kings Island is heading into a period of (still operating) hibernation, compared to the "we don't care" attitude I've heard the 2006 Paramount management had.

This will make a lot of families with kids sad. Tinkers (in several forms) has been a tradition since Winterfest 1.0 - Six Flags doesn’t like winter events and with budget cuts everywhere this may be the end of Winterfest 3.0 after this season. Wonder where the tombstone will be for Tinkers Toy Factory at Haunt this year?

It’s always a rough ride after a merger. In 3-4 years, I believe things will be heading north for the company and we’ll be excited about the things they’re doing.

“It’s going to be fine, Cedar Fair will be running it” said many when the merger was announced.

Or it could be a result of the 500 full time positions removed this past summer. All part of a plan to reallocate money and reduce expenses. The Budget for practically everything has been changed. Change in price for Season Passes, now you pay less BUT there’s more ‘premium’ up charges. Now what was included has been hit with a $$$ signs. Low entry price looks appealing, but in park spending is higher. Nickel and diming resentment increases. And we end up where we are now. The guests are not happy, the board is not happy, the CEO is out of a job come 2026. This is textbook price obfuscation and loyal visitors are noticing.

I feel it will be a new shooting ride. I don't see a Phantom Theater return.

The biggest thing the board needs to realize is that a lot of people today are willing to actually pay more for better experiences and higher quality. Especially those of us with families.

That doesnt surprise me one bit at that joint, they would charge you to breathe beach air if they could. Of course it wouldnt come as a HUGE surprise to see it go chainwide, it stands to reason they would put it in play first there at Disneyworld Jr.

Don't get me wrong, I'm advocating big time for more family attractions as well. I know that receiving a major coaster around every 3 years was an unsustainable model. My gripe is with removing coasters without a planned replacement and the perceived decline in quality of additions over the past few years. The extended amount of time it took for AP and CS to open also did not sit well with me. I'm realizing my final statement didn't read how I thought it did. I feel that Kings Island currently feels like it is either stagnating or declining in overall quality. Whether this is due to the overall size of the passholder base (compared to daily ticket holders), economic woes, the potential for market penetration, or anything else — I am not sure. In an article on themeparksbydon.com Don Helbig commented that additions like RiverRacers were not designed to draw in guests from outside the Cincinnati market (I'm paraphrasing from memory). I will celebrate the day Kings Island is finally focused on being a thrilling theme park that caters to the whole family. If the park were able to pick a lane and commit to it I think I'd be happier. Either stay as an amusement park with some theming as it exists now or return to being a theme park with high thrills. I'd prefer it become a theme park with high thrills. My personal opinion will differ from others and I'm okay with that. I just like to type.

After reading this thread as it is now, I’m really thinking the Six Flags board members could all benefit from playing the RCT game scenarios. See what it’s like to be in charge of a park all by yourself with some advice from notifications or RCT3’s park inspector: building things, hiring and managing staff and giving them patrol routes for more efficiency, etc. Some of the scenarios are real tricky too. I say the RCT scenarios for a reason. It’s not just because I’m most familiar with them(especially RCT3’s) but from what I’m seeing in the few scenarios on the original Planet Coaster game I’ve played so far, their scenario challenges just don’t hold up that well by comparison. Hopefully the new CEO actually knows what they’re talking about when it comes to the industry and is devoted to coasters and such.

I would much rather see the scare actors and fog machines restricted to the back areas of the park than have Haunt neutered entirely just to better cater to families. That being said, that method works a lot better at Cedar Point because of the park's layout with only two real entrances to their dedicated Haunt zone. My idea for a revitalized Halloween Haunt had this same idea with International Street, part of Planet Snoopy, Action Zone, and Oktoberfest being the tamer zones while Adventure Port, Coney Mall, Rivertown, and Area 72 were the real scare zones where all of the mazes were. It may be a good idea to redirect some of the roamers into the mazes, but removing the fog and catering more to families means no more shows like Dead Awakening or Hot Blooded. Once you make the event any more family-friendly you lose the ability to make it scary again without a lot of work. There are a good number of people who buy their passes just for Halloween Haunt, so any families that come in for a neutered Haunt event may just replace the guests who like the event as it has been — meaning little-to-no bumps in attendance. I'm very passionate about this subject and I hope Halloween Haunt becomes more adult-oriented than it has been in recent years.

Conneaut Lake Park's Carousel is a goregous one...well was when they took care of it. This carousel was tragically awful but great at the same time. @XGatorHead 8904

I'd think most of the unused land around Kings Island would be harder to develop than it is worth. A nicely-sized neighborhood could probably fit to the east of the Associate Dorms and south of the new Kings High School area, but the entrance(s) to it would be super odd to handle. Then as you get closer to the river you get into flood zones and everything. Anyone who moves into that area would also have to deal with the Kings schools traffic/activities in addition to having Kings Island in their backyard. If they're looking to sell a larger park to another chain I'd hope they could choose something that isn't a former KECO park either. Bankruptcy would be an interesting time to live through. I wonder if they'd force a rule where potential buyers cannot buy two parks that are in the same state/region. That would at least separate Kings Island and Cedar Point from competing in the same chain.

I was joking, but again we never know what may happen. Maybe they have to include a bigger park in the mix of a package of smaller parks to sell to entice a buyer and KD would fit that bill nicely. Bankruptcy could split the properties. Maybe a developer is looking at the unused land around KI they are selling and offers a number for the park they can't refuse. The land may be worth more as something else than a park to a developer. We really don't know. But of the "top" parks in the chain, I think KD is the most vulnerable one.

They are selling off the unused land around the park, but Kings Dominion isn't going anywhere. The non core parks that could be sold are properties they own that are not one of the 15 largest parks.

I know you kid, but please don't say that. It is such a gem of a park to loose.

YES! Ive tried to figure out which parks exactly would be "Flagship" parks, but there needs to be maybe 6 that have that status. The as you said create a unified brand for those lower tier parks. This wouldn't just be based on size. These would form almost the "bread and butter filler" that have light theming, more unifor food offerings, bulk bought things like cups, bags without park-specific branding.

Looks like the SeaWorld parks were a mixed bag…attendance was up (according to the comments on the call, a good amount in Orlando even after the opening of Epic) but revenue was down. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/united-parks--resorts-inc-reports-second-quarter-and-first-six-months-2025-results-302524044.html

Our new CEO:

On an unrelated note, Pantherian opened this afternoon after being down all season, and no announcement on social media advertising its reopening. What kind of PR is that? Truly pathetic.

It's either get this started for 2026 or hope you're still around to do it when (if) the situation fully improves. I'm a huge advocate for dropping the brand name from a lot of the parks entirely. The largest issue they'd have to deal with is making sure the trademarks are up to date and processed for each name after dropping the "Six Flags" from it. Frankly, I think all of the park trademarks need to be cleaned up in general. Once things stabilize/the will becomes available, I'd start out by letting the top-tier parks have more unique logos and identities, then create a new and consistent branding identity for the lower tiers of parks, and then keep working to improve the experiences in each park. If it continues to be a massive company some more variation amongst the parks would help out the vibes in each park. One of my biggest issues with Six Flags has been that they treat themselves as one giant brand with multiple locations instead of multiple parks that sit under the same roof. Zimmerman stepping down will hopefully allow someone else to come in and at least stabilize things. He's not entirely in control of things, but as CEO he hasn't entirely been great at leading the combined company. Six Flags might get a breath of fresh air when a new CEO is finally appointed, and hopefully it will be someone who is able to finalize the merging efforts and get through the rest of the growing pains. The 2026 announcements need to be made, the new apps and websites need to be released, and the company as a whole needs someone at the helm who will be able to make a much-needed course correction.