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I believe all of this could be done without leveling any of The Vortex plot. Instead of an entirely new themed area, it might be easier to bring back the "Old Coney" name and realign the midway. That frees up space for a larger indoor dining location, fixes the kink in the midway brought on by KMAA, and could still allow for a new flat ride to go back there depending on how everything is placed. Jukebox is replaced by the new indoor restaurant and Coney Potato Works could make a comeback to give purpose to that seating area (and provide another dining location). This all could probably happen for much less money while killing a few birds with one big boulder. Here's a mock-up I've been working on for another topic thread to better show the idea. It does include the removal of WindSeeker and the addition of a new dark ride in Action Theater, but that would come at a later time.

What do we think these white tarps (?) at the bottom of Mystic Timbers' drop are for? Maybe some new wood (already though?) or general coverings for some reason?

I don’t know where they get their data but mine comes from sentiment reports — the same kind of reports used by theme parks throughout the industry and decisions get made from. I’ve done several sentiment reports on Orion since it debuted in 2020. The sentiment is it’s a good ride, but not a ride that drives attendance. It hasn’t delivered the expected ROI. The Beast on the other hand continues to drive attendance going on 47 years since its 1979 debut.

Say this louder for the people in the back!

I'm asking the question as a means to point out the absurdity of the claims you're making. You stated that the "typical guest sentiment" is that Orion is "just OK". I'm asking how you arrived at this conclusion. Is there survey data somewhere that leads you to this conclusion? You then stated that the park should have done something different in order to "sell tickets". I'm asking how you arrived at the conclusion that Orion did not "sell tickets" or otherwise meet the park's desired goals for the investment. Do you have access to the park's expectations for the ride? Or the performance metrics? Anything at all to substantiate the claim you're making? It's one thing to say that you were personally underwhelmed by the ride, or that you wish they had done something different with the investment. It's another thing entirely to state with certainty that the park isn't hitting its expected attendance marks or that Orion is viewed by guests as underwhelming. Others have pointed it out, but it bears repeating - enthusiasts generally are not great at understanding what it takes to run a successful, well rounded amusement park, because they tend to assume their own preferences are widely shared by the average guest. That is just not true.

Looks like the usual "cold weather tunnel" for doing trackwork, but trackwork on a GCI less than ten years old seems odd. That section is higher-stress though so maybe a new top layer and fresh steel? I haven't seen a Notice of Commencement for a while, so I'm not sure if GCI has a contract open with the park right now. Most parks have GCI do tracking on their GCI rides (SFMM being a notable exception, but wood track seems to dry out quickly there and Apocalypse got retracked down to the ledgers by a third party a number of years ago now.)

I'm disappointed that they didn't do anything to change the theme, but I think that's to be expected from Universal and Disney these days. At least the new Six Flags might be stepping away from cloned themes like this for the forseeable future.

The more I think about it, I think a ride like Big Bear Mountain named Shooting Star themed around the drive in display at Winterfest would fit very well in that area of Coney Mall. Imagine the theming opportunities they could have. I would honestly love a 50s themed coaster to go along with Jukebox Diner.

And your data is where, again?

I will provide you with information that is of equal relevance to your claims about Orion - my ranking of 80's sitcoms: Cheers Family Ties The Cosby Show Perfect Strangers ALF

Orion The Beast Adventure Express Invertigo The Bat Diamondback Racer Queen City Stunt Coaster Flight of Fear Woodstock Express Mystic Timbers Snoopy's Soap Box Racers Woodstock's Air Rail Great Pumpkin Coaster Where I rank Orion doesn't mean that those who don't post on KIC or aren't considered enthusiasts rank them the same place that I do or that @DispatchMaster would. Because you rank it lower, than me or Dispatch, doesn't mean that it's not a great coaster in the eyes of those who don't post on KIC or aren't "enthusiasts," or the general public.

Big Bear Mountain is a nice ride, but personally I'd rather have them either commit to a definite family attraction or a definite thrill ride. We already have the middle of the road covered quite nicely with Adventure Express, Queen City Stunt Coaster, and The Bat. An attraction like Fire-in-the Hole on the family end or Alpenfury on the thrill end makes sense to me.

To me, from Racer all the way to WindSeeker is all Coney Mall. The area between Shake Rattle & Roll all the way to Rivertown, the serpentine walkway, can be looked at as a mini land.

The chain/park does have an opportunity to do something amazing though. While I realize we've gotten smaller additions the last few years, if 2027 were our year for a major installation, that would mark the 40th anniversary for Vortex if it were still standing. That would make for an incredibly awesome way to honor a classic while also giving us the much anticipated big coaster. One can dream.

I have a little hope for a Back To The Future coaster, but I did see the speedometer and immediately think it'd be Fast & Furious. The needle did look like it could be going to 88mph though. A semi-cloned ride with a cloned theme does feel on brand for Universal/Disney these days. At least this might mean an end to Fast & Furious Supercharged.

Ugh. More Fast and Furious. Was hoping for something different for east/west coast.

Universal announces Rockit's replacement tomorrow! Sorry for the small picture, there's a post on Facebook if you want to watch the video (which isn't really anything). Looks to me like Fast and Furious!

I too like some of the others on here thought the Phantoms were too "cute" or "friendly" when I first saw them but the design has grown on me. In the original they were borderline creepy and I think that's the difference in the two attractions - original phantom they were meant to be creepy and haunted. The new one they are supposed to be engaging characters once again but they are a bit more family friendly. I think it has the potential to be a great ride and as I have said before I think it's great that people are being creative and not just bringing back a 30 year old ride. I know we still have beloved old dark rides at Disney or Knoebels but when you are creating something new for today's audiences I think it's natural that it changes a bit from what the expectations of a dark ride were in 1992. Oh I also don't think I've mentioned yet that I think the red "box seats" or doom buggies look better than even the original ones did. The greyish blue was classic of course but the red gives it a real restored theater vibe. Really digging the red ride vehicles

100%, my dude. They look significantly better than the original figures. Not that they were bad or anything, but 34 years allows technology to develop in such a way that, on a surface level, makes them superior. The movement and articulation of the new Maestro when specifically compared to the original makes it obvious. To go further, yeah… I adore the art direction of the original ride. Everything about it. But I’m not going to sit here and say this new direction looks worse. I know that’s mostly objective, but come on: Ultimately, comparison is a thief of joy. I’m just hyped for what’s in store. Sally knows what they’re doing. Based on what little we’ve seen in the Curtain Call BTS series and via the filed plans, it seems like it’s going to be done right. Only time will tell…

I wholly agree with you on that first point! The Crypt's building and area would be better suited to a Rivertown expansion so a new lake and town area could be added alongside a new dedicated entertainment venue. The Vortex plot should be occupied by a thrill coaster — not a family thrill coaster. It doesn't need to be the biggest or baddest of anything, but a Big Bear Mountain-style coaster would not fit what the area does need. Whatever replaces Vortex needs to be photogenic and vertically diverse. Photogenic to give guests a new visually stunning ride to view from the pathways. Vertically diverse so it both adds to Kings Island's skyline while filling out the space provided by the ravine. The park also has a desperate need for an inversion machine, and family coasters very notably do not feature inversions. If the park was looking to make their next coaster family-friendly, why would they use the Vekoma Ghostrider model on the most recent survey? I understand that Kings Island is a "family park", but those families grow up and want more thrilling coasters as their children get tired of what the park has. There's an argument to be made that it should have a 48" height requirement (or similar). I get why that might be. The issue is that Kings Island has been playing it safe and it has not worked out in their favor very much. Orion was made to appeal to families and didn't receive a high enough ROI: though Orion opened in July during the middle of a global pandemic, so there were other issues with its opening. River Racers was designed to appeal to a larger audience while leaving more budget for other attractions and did not receive very stellar reviews in its first season of operation. My point with these two examples is that appealing to a broader audience hasn't really worked out well for Kings Island. Yes, families who want thrills could go up to Cedar Point, but it's unlikely that they would go as often as they might if they could have something more thrilling at KI. As families struggle more with the economy there's also less chance that they'd be willing to travel the 3+ hours.