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2025 Ridership for the Top 6 Rides has been posted. Note doesn't include the additional rides The Racer and Mystic will recieve during WinterFest, so I expect Mystic Timbers to probably pass The Beast before the end of the season.

Now if they'd also take the "Kings Island" off the Mystic Timbers sign. Like, you don't have to remind me what park I'm in guys...

The neon one? If that's the case, it was last up 2017/8....hasn't been back.

That’s a good idea actually. Dollywood makes the swap out in a matter of days by having some easy swaps like this

There is some stuff that I think they could overlay between Haunt and Winterfest- for example how the Rivertown scare zone gets repurposed for Winterfest. You could keep the drive-in that you see for Winterfest- just put it up earlier and just play classic Halloween movies instead, so it’s less effort to switch over come Winterfest time.

I could've sworn there was another one after that. If not, oh well then. I just saw a photo from the earliest Festhaus setup that had the old logo in that spot and realized it was no longer there. The sign for Diamondback also has the park name on it but the Banshee sign doesn't. The Diamondback logo might also be the only one with the park name that does not have the park logo on it. I know part of the reasoning is so they can use that logo in ads and such so people associate the MT name with KI (which is funny since the MT initials are also now used in Dorney Park). Queen City Stunt Coaster has the logo on its billboard. Orion has the park named just about everywhere except for the sign. Neither The Beast nor The Bat have the KI name on their main signs. I'd love to know the reasoning behind those choices. Side note: does anyone know when/why the capital "I" was changed on the classic Kings Island logo? I always thought there could be people who mistook it for a capital "J" and that might be why. Personally, I feel like it changed whenever the park started to use the classic logo more and made the dot of the first "i" into a Cedar Fair flag and especially when they remade the logo for Phantom Theater Encore.

And why are there two dozen different kinds of concrete surfacing? And that extra seating area for the mess hall, seems like that, and the turf for it, got relocated to build the pavilion by the Carousel...

Camp snoopy is “sort of” well done. There’s so much they could’ve easily done to make it feel way more complete. Starting with, why isn’t the ride themed to a tree not in the area themed to camping in the outdoors?

Does anyone know when they removed the big Kings Island sign from over the Festhaus stage? I noticed its absence recently and realized that it hasn't been there for a while.

Yes, however they never even went up for Haunt this year. They're usually a carryover from Haunt, just programmed and themed differently. If they weren't put up for haunt, then I don't think they'd have the time to put them up between haunt and winter fest unfortunately.

The ongoing roof work has spread to the other half of the structure.

I feel like both of the figures shown at IAPPA would stretch that $900k number. Surely, that’s just for one aspect of the project.

I believe the permit shows just the cost of the renovations to the structure and not the whole project.

I've been questioning this permit for a while. Is the $900,000 supposed to be the entire cost? It seems very, very cheap for a complete overhaul. I'd expect this project to cost in the neighborhood of $5M - 10M. Maybe the amount shown here is for the exterior work? That seems about the amount it would likely cost for the entrance overlay...

After seeing the "DEMO LOOP" from the IAPPA show with Maestro and No Legs Larrys, I wouldn't be surprised if that was continuously shown in the lobby where the queue is. Seem to tell the story and be about 15 minutes long. (of course I'd much rather have what was done before.):

While I do think the additions were very well done and were needed it feels like the thought behind each one was less thorough than before. I'll praise the park and a lot of the things it has done until my fingers grow weak, but that doesn't change the fact that a large enough amount of others online have questioned those recent choices for me to have doubts. I wholeheartedly agree with the fact that these mini-lands were done very well and helped improve them compared to what was there before. Part of my worrying is that there will be visible gaps in the thought process behind Phantom Theater: Opening Nightmare like there were with the other additions. Adventure Port and Camp Snoopy opened more than a month after the season started. Both Orion and River Racers were the smallest version of their models (giga coaster and water coasters) possible. Not all has been bad, though. Mystic Timbers remains one of my top rated coasters and has a great break run experience. The park added two amazing new restaurants and brought back the Antique Autos. Orion revitalized Area 72 and gave KI a veritable speed machine. The entire 50th Anniversary celebration hit the ball out of the park with its care and grandeur. Adventure Port and Camp Snoopy each took a dead area and breathed new life into it. Splash River Junction was a very good upgrade to Soak City alongside some much-needed restroom and facility renovations. The new Carousel Pavilion has provided a nicely shaded spot for guests to eat and a new venue for smaller shows. What we've seen from PT:ON so far has been absolutely amazing! The animatronics look really good and show that a lot of care has been put into the development of the new ride so far. My phrasing might have been better said as to call those additions "vastly allocated" instead of "budget" attractions. A lot of good was done with some things falling short in each project. Remember when members of this site were wondering about the rest of the roof not being red on Enrique's? I really like the smaller approaches for less money, I just wish the park management (or whoever's left to do this sort of thing) would take a little more care to ensure that these major additions open on time and do more of what they set out to do. One thing I'm really excited to see is how much more colorful this new Phantom Theater might be compared to the original. I really liked how vibrant the new sets and displays that were shown off at IAAPA were!

They did a good job with the theme and appearance of Adventure Port. But they definitely skimped on the rides in that expansion Instead of a quality 42 person Huss Enterprise they have an uncomfortable, low capacity knock off that doesn’t even tilt 90°. Plus they didn’t even purchase a lighting package for it. The barrel ride is one of the lowest quality versions of this type of ride They also skimped on the little bit of cost. It would’ve required to have provided shade in the queues to make the customers more comfortable. So its a trade off In the case of Adventure Port, they put lipstick on a pig. It looks great, but that’s the best thing that can be said about that area.

I'd have to disagree with the thought about budget appearance. Adventure Port is very well done. Camp Snoopy is well done. The new part of Soak City spruced up the area. I don't think they skimped in the appearance, the aesthetic is good. It's just that the areas they did do are small.

It's also cheaper to keep most of the castle. I'm hoping that Sally Dark Rides will help save this new ride from feeling like another "budget" addition like so many have expressed the last few major projects to have been. What we've seen so far gives me faith, but there are a lot of things that could still go wrong.

I really hope the day go back to something similar to what the ride used to be, but I understand that the current entryway is more “grander“

I hope they can make the Safety Guide placement look better for PT:ON! The sign on a post is fine, but it doesn't really fit in too well. The up-lighting on the building is nice to see!

Oh yes I'm agreeing with you!

I’m not trying to sound cynical, but I’ve seen front yard Christmas displays that look better than what guests watch on the train. I’m not saying there isn’t any physical effort being put in putting up the lights around the route but it’s been the same thing since 2017. Paramount went through the effort of pouring concrete footers and putting up huge billboards and having a show scene.

Swap the cars between engines and slap a wreath on the smokebox door: voila

Looks like a great production! I look forward to seeing it. Looks like Tinker has gone thru puberty. I'm glad they were able to reuse the Grand Carnivale thrones!

No charge on the facade, yet...

Tinkers Jingle Bell Ball

Truly, I think they could utilize the service road (heading toward Slaughterhouse) by adding some quick rails and adjusting the fencing/walls. That would be more ideal than what is available right now.