Leaderboard

Did anybody else notice the park didn't put up any signs at all for the grand carousel's 100th anniversary? The park probably realized they would have to use something other than AI to honor that type of anniversary.

I generally liked it. It's at the very least a HUGE upgrade from Boo Blasters. My only issues are that the dialog could be a bit more clear and maybe more use of music through the ride (especially for a ride themed to a theater with a maestro). I'll give it a A-.

At first, I found the presence of soaps and the like pleasant as I saw that stuff at Sweet Spot but you have helped me realize the other side to it. Its clear between this and the AI slop shirts that are present that corporate doesnt care whether the products sold in stores look good and full of life. Corporate wants products that sell and thats it. Which means putting out things that are generic and/or AI slop generated instead of things that clearly had lots of effort put into them by graphic designers and the like. By working to cut costs so much, they have completely lost the points on why parks exist and why they continue to exist. If I had the power for just one day to have Cedar Flags do exactly what I want, I know precisely what kind of things I would make them make happen. Having it so they are creative people like illustrators and writers on the board of directors, for example. At least the quality of Sweet Spot treats remains excellent. It helps the kitchen and equipment for making the sweets is right there and if corporate tried to mess with what Sweet Spot has had going for so long, it would not end well. Fresh treats are important for a park to have, especially when so many mass produced treats have such a repetitive taste that is often really enjoyable at first until the satisfaction and joy diminishes as an example of the law of diminishing value. Corporatizing things only makes the world less full of life and diminishes the experiences that bring people to places like Kings Island. It is plastering a dull vibe and energy that is inconsistent with the life the arts and entertainment bring to society. And without the arts, the very meaning of what it means to be human could very well vanish. Art is ever present within Kings Island because posters, ride logos, fonts, treats, foods, drinks, inventions, rides, floral arrangements, and so on are all forms of artist expression when you get down to it. Creativity is why things like all the ride and coaster types in the world have ever been invented. Societies worldwide would not exist without creativity. And all of this is something corporate does not understand and does not want to understand.

I might catch flack for this, but here goes. After attending the park yesterday, I have to say for the first time in a long time, I left with a sad/somber feeling. I didn't leave with the normal fullness I usually feel. Now mind you, it had nothing to do with not riding anything yesterday. In fact, I knew going in without ASFL this season and with it being opening weekend, that wouldn't be happening for me. I went solely to take in the new stuff and have dinner with my lady. But after doing a few loops around the park and entering some of the gift shops to browse, we both noticed something. The park feels gutted. The sense of whimsy felt missing and honestly the park just hardcore gave off the stench of "corporate". To me its like tearing down a playground and putting an office space there. Or seeing how the restaurants from my youth went from bright and vibrant to blocky and grey. This is the feeling we both had upon exiting the park yesterday. All the goofy little claw machines/barrels that were outside of, for example, Diamondback's giftshop, are gone. The giftshops themselves feel stale. Looking around each one we noticed that a lot of them were selling overpriced stuff you'd find in the middle-way of a shopping mall ( soaps, notebooks, etc ) instead of plushies, shirts, hats, park exclusive stuff. And it felt like a lot of the decor inside the giftshops and around the park in general were barren. I know this was the first operating weekend for the park and there are still a lot of loose ends to be tied up, so I am trying to be optimistic and hopefully the things that added atmosphere to the park will return, but after what we saw yesterday, I fear this may a sign of what's to come. All of those silly little nuances that gave the park life and atmosphere and that sense of whimsy appear to be gone for now and maybe forever. Again, I realize this might all sound silly to some of you, but seeing so much empty gutted space just made the place feel stale and like I already said, "corporate". Also the continued use of AI everywhere is gross. I am on the side of AI being unethical, but seeing so much of it just gives off a cheapened feel. All I can say is that I am going to try to remain optimistic for the future of the park as the season moves on and hopefully gets things together, but if this is what is in store for the future, I can't honestly say I will be enticed to be a passholder for much longer. We shall see.

The same mentality of they will show up regardless applies to the purchase of goodies as well apparently....

There is a reason I did not post the AI designs on the KIC social channels. The channels that did, the replies are nothing but negative feedback on the designs.

Removing the elevator attendant is kinda like removing the park ambassadors. Seen on the bottom line, but lots of intangibles that cannot be measured are now gone. Anyone that has worked the elevator attendant position can attest to the guest interaction that you got (and more so than probably any other associate position in the park) and undoubtedly had positive impacts on a guest's experience that day in the park. Whether it be answering a question, offering up ride or food suggestions, to just maybe listening to them vent a little bit if they had a bad day, it is all valuable interaction that is now gone.

People would press the button on the other side all the time especially when down for a variety of reasons. And I will say it has led to "incidents" happening in the past, but I will not go into anymore detail to protect the park and other people's jobs as well as me. Good on the AP flat ride ops still being 2. The person who told me that has a long history of spreading false rumors and I'm sure you can take a guess who so I didn't believe him but I walked past the flying scooters and saw it is in single so I wasn't sure. Its cost cutting. I was told by one of the ops who worked with me when I was there.

So many bemoaning the loss of the peppers ghost scene in the new Phantom Theatre. It wouldn’t make sense in the narrative and it actually never made sense the first time. We’ve seen these ghosts fully manifested, but then they become wispy image, only to go back to being fully formed again? The reason the peppers ghost works at Disney is the it’s really the first time we’ve seen the ghosts “manifested”. We see the "effect" of the ghosts on physical obect like books and candlesticks, Then they are transparent, then become more “physical” once you are in the graveyard. Thats one of the reasons the hat box ghost location has been controversial- it ruined the build up of the ghost logic. The first Phantom Theatre version just had the goal to copy Disney whether it made story sense or not.

I was very impressed and pleased with it when I rode on Thursday. I feel the production quality is very high and the flashlights are very cool; the real time tracking is great. I think it is important to keep in mind that this is a brand-new effects based ride. They are still working out the volume of music and sounds effects, how to keep the flashlights consistently working and keeping all the effects inside the ride consistent

Long read and... I know that I tend to be very critical of things I care about.. so to partially counter that, I made myself go back n forth for negative and positve thoughts. From videos before riding: 👎 We use flashlights.. but lack a 'lights out' scene. 👍 A nice shooting system that works, and has sounds and haptics to confirm points 👎 The Opera lady doesn't sing operatically.. doesnt sound serious, originally it was a powerful vocal that, when paired with the cracking mirror felt intense. I wish they had a lady that sang "properly". This voice is kind of.. annoying, i hesitate to say. 👍 The queue has lightning in the windows 👎 The Facade wasn't truly redone 👍 Many animitronics 👎 Too many reused assets from boo blasters.. Scooby to Boo was understandable as it was a required redo while the entire park redone.. but at least phantom to Scooby did, albeit less dazzling, mostly new effects. 👍 the boiler scene returns! 👎 There's no pepper's ghost effect & in its old location is all the characters, admittedly moving, but in one place.. on an empty stage.. peppers ghost wouldve been cooler as a static display if they had the whole audience area depicted like the OG 👍 There are some callbacks/ redos of the OG on even small-detail scales. The Gargoyl, the guy caught in the ropes, the mummy. 👎 The ride aint spooky at all.. I understand making it more family friendly for younger ages too but, I was 4 when I started riding & remembering Phantom Theatre and I still really liked it.. I feel we couldve gone more ghoulish than this.. afterall they went and put "Nightmare" on the ride title. 👍 The ride vehicles are paired with one other vehicle now allowing for a fresher riding configuration and, in theory, allowing for longer audio sequences without hearing the other groups' scene. 👎 connected to previous positive-- No Legs Larry repeats his first line loudly twice for some reason at the beginning 👍 They attempt a decent story for why you're shooting these ghost notes 👎 no legs larry, should be sassy and making puns that are slightly spooky themed like in the show's opening meet n greet.. thats why ppl loved him 👍 maestro says "youll be back" 👎 the audio repeats way too frequently for the showboxes being more spread out than before.. tocatta in d minor & "back on the stage once again". 👍 projection mapping After riding 👍 The shooting system was much more responsive and satisfying than expected 👎 There are several moments where there's nothing happening 👍 The windows in queue have thematic lighting 👎 The 2nd buggy in the "train" doesnt get the best views because the cars don't rotate to look at the same time.. wouldve liked the cars to stay separately spaced since none of the scenes needed to last super long anyways.. the reused ride can only rotate at certain moments on the track.. car 1 and car 2 can never be triangulated on the same moment, because they will experience the exact same physical movements.. wouldve liked the system to program in different rotation points also. OG phantom had different rotations compared to scooby... but ever since scooby, its been the same. This was a good chance to change it up. 👍 The indoor queue can fit more people and yet still does not feel cramped so the line will be out in the hot sun less often. 👎 The castle has gashes in the concrete already 👍nice easter eggs throughout including invered bust, The Beastie vulture etc 👎REALLY shouldve brought the peppers ghost effect back 👍Boo Blasters is gone! 👎 Volume on No Legs Larry incomprehensible in most places in the queue yet the cats meowing hurts my ears its so loud. 👍 The bats on the metal railing are nicee 👎 The boiler scene had nothing happening with the 2 guys, no notes going in.. then the secondary portion.. you dont get blasted with heat. (Many complained of it being hot.. but its still a better effect with the heat) 👍 The new tangled in the ropes scene is superior 👎 The 2-carriage showbox configuration ultimately led to my experience having 1 or 2 times where the dialogue/ action finishes early because it was designed for the 1st car to see. I remember the notes changing a little early once. Since the cars cant be made to rotate to triangulate on the same scene.. I think they should've kept the cars equally spaced out. Nothing lasted so long to need the extra spacing from my quick impression *shrug* 👍 the haptics when you capture a ghost note is great 👎 Larry's intro dialogue need to go through the carriage speakers instead of loudy screaming it twice within 3 seconds.. the riders hear both iterations. 👍 despite wishing for a "lights out"moment.. i actually like the choice of that same character now turning up the lights to try to help get rid of the notes.. though, I wouldve opted for a flood light moment then haha.. maybe a quick strobe disguising a photo op -- Overall, Im so very glad to finally get rid of Scooby/ Boo Blasters. I remember the debut of Scooby as a 7 year old and being severely disappointed lol I have always joked "I was the target demographic.. and scooby doo was a lame addition as a 7 year old that actually DOES like scooby doo" Outside of my whining, this ride is very acceptable. Bringing a (for now) well operating shooting system that doesnt feel clunky & gives you great visual and physical feedback. I think kids as old as 13 will very much enjoy this ride as it is.. but, I think it leaned a bit too much into family friendly that it doesnt excite for older guests as much (except YOU who's reading this disagreeing). I mean the ride has "Nightmare" in the name.. probably a difficult balance. Ive heard people say kids used to get really scared of the old one but, Im coming from being maybe 3 or 4 and I dont remember ever being scared; my parents have never reported me crying from OG phantom *shrug* Im glad to see most people posting are fans of it (assuming mostly adults have been posting) I wish I was amongst the crew with mostly positive things to say. Tis my nature. But, Im glad the park put it the effort to give us a ride inspired by something that arguably was one of the best attractions to ever grace Kings Island. Let's all agree to keep it Phantom Theater forever now haha Ill be sure to ride this every time... the line is not crazy.

Besides the fact that the Flash Powder barrel is still used at the exit for The Beast, these are the current original Phantom Theater props still being used in new Phantom Theater Opening Nightmare. 1. Balcony where maestro stands 2. Ride system and Cars for the ride 3. 99 % sure that Wall bust near the electrician is an original Phantom Theater queue prop 4. The ledge where maestro pulled back the curtain at the beginning of the ride may still be there but currently their is a curtain there blocking it, the candles at the end of the ride were original candles and they were removed during remodeling this year for the new ride. 5. The Chandeliers in the queue are originals and they are also retrofitted this year with additional lights to simulate lighting that’s all I can think of for now be sure to let me know if you guys have more.

You are absolutely correct. No creative/the arts, no Kings Island. No Disney World. No Disneyland. No Pokemon. No Magic The Gathering. No Skyrim. No Minecraft. No nothing. I dont actually know lots about art history overall, its just that so many things I know have fit together like puzzle pieces especially now that Ive watched like 300 animated shows. Dang, itd be so cool to get a animated show about Kings Island.. A 4 parter special for Phantom Theater.. A debut episode about The Racer.. All that with a twist of all the rides and attractions basically coming to life so that there are sentient characters that represent them all. Could always go the Cars/Planes/Brave Little Toaster route for the likes of The Racer. Imagine how beautiful the animation would be when made with love by the efforts of animators, scriptwriters, voice actors, concept artists, and so on..

I agree. MUCH better than Boo Blasters! But I also think the ride could be better. I wish that there was a more clear plot throughout the ride, although Boo Blasters didn't really have a plot either. I just don't understand the whole "shine the flashlight at the Ghost Notes!" thing. Like why? I did sense there were some "dead spots" throughout the ride where nothing was really happening and I was just waiting for the next scene and the next time I got to use my flashlight. Don't get me wrong I really like the ride and think it's a great upgrade, but if you strip down everything it's essentially a very similar ride to everything else that has been in that building. If I were to give it a grade, it would be a B

As they should.

I was looking at the merch and this one really popped out. Sorry the shirt is not flat for the best look of the logo. Does the normal park guest not realize or care the train's placement is not practical and makes no sense?

To be fair, Phantom is one of the more inaccessible rides due to the use of stairs in the queue and the ability for anyone to ride it. I do agree that the Accessible line was very long this weekend, but there was a more-than-usual amount of guest waiting in the standard line too. Hopefully the wait times are able to be lowered as operations become smoother, I do think the added accessibility door within the queue should really help with that on a typical day, previously that was the job of the ride operator and the process of signing the green sheets slowed operations. I do really fear the longevity of the some of the smaller set elements. I'm hoping the newer technology and BTS infrastructure work that I believe wasn't done for the Scooby Doo conversion should help. But I really fear that it won't be long until we start seeing videos of kids climbing on Larry in the queue line. I think they should've had some additional barrier in place besides the queue line.

True, but that position is still an elevator attendant (and my reply to you said "attendant at elevator door" so the position location was already identified). And if that is the message you got from my post, then you missed the entire point of my post LOL.

Yesterday was kind of a dozzy. Zephyr was still disassembled. The geese have really made their presence known. Racer was doing low speed operations with only one train around 12. Invertigo, The Beast, Drop Tower, and Adventure Express all closed. Still had a good time there though, many of the lines were just repulsive looking so ended up doing things like Woodstock Whirlybirds.

I think the only big change I'd have made to the ride scene layout would be to bring back the big theater scene but without the Pepper's Ghost effects. Make guests feel a little closer to the stage than before, though. Put some smaller animatronics on stage and in the audience, but keep them corporeal. There could still be Ghost Notes floating along the back wall and a flat surface for the tracking system as well. The PT Encore scene music stays, the Ghost Notes and game aspect are kept, you're just not right up at the front of the stage. Other than that I think everything else will be fixed as the ride continues to cycle with public guests. To add to this, I hope Kings Island decides to put in another family dark ride elsewhere in the park. I've been advocating for something in an expanded Action Theater but it doesn't have to go there.

it’s great that there’s such a high interest in this ride Practically every person in the world can ride this ride. A smaller % of the population can ride coasters. So it would be logical that this ride may attract more people. Maybe these parks will start figuring out that if they put in more attractions that everybody can ride, their attendance will quit being stagnant

Rode it Friday twice and then on Saturday with 2 of my grandkids. This ride is absolutely fantastic for what is is meant to be. In my opinion this is NOT for the original Phantom Theatre fans. It is "inspired" by the original ride NOT meant to be a reproduction of it. Keep in mind FAMILY RIDE. The original was much darker and scared small children. This one still does a little (especially the lightning/thunder effects in the queue). The biggest surprise and what made me smile was where the "peppers ghost" effect used to be. ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT in my opinion. I'm sure I'm in a minority but I think the peppers ghost effect in today's day and age may be more trouble than it would be worth. Face it people today are a little more "brave" to deface things (spitting on mirrors, gum, etc.) I'm sure that would require daily cleaning. I truely fear for Larry in the queue. They have signs about cameras but by then it may be to late. Plexi glass around the section would help (but spitting may still be there). Doing this would have to have left the exit doors still accessible and would may have affected the popcorn scent (loveley touch). Another observation was the neither the Maestro nor Larry do the narration for the information videos on how to use the flashlights. This may be a signal that in case Maestro or Larry stop working the instructions would still be viable. I used Fast Lane my first ride (20 min) the second i waited in line (almost 3 hours). The line seemed to go in spurts. I can understand this because with the new cars, new tech and I'm assuming some work on the track system since it was exposed I think it will take some time to fine tune it. After all with 28 or so boxes and 400-500 in each box that's alot of weight compared to cycling with half of the boxes empty. Saturday when i took the grandkids it was about 2 hours and even though we were there around 3-4 we did get the keychains they were given out. Finally, I noticed a LARGE amount of people entering through the exit. The line was all the way outdoors every time I passes the ride all day. I'm sure the long waits were becuase of stopping for loading special needs which is fine but it does bring up how many people were taking advantage of the situation to avoid the line. Honestly I've never seen that before with Boo or Scooby. It will be interesting to see how long that line is next weekend or in the middle of the season. I understand the need for those who need it but I have heard that KI is rather lax on the reasons they accept for these exceptions. All in all a FANTASTIC addition which I will be riding over and over. Great job to Sally and the KI team (and Rick)!!

The boxes are two at a time (two boxes, two blanks) this creates much more space between sets of boxes. My first ride the first box had no one in it and I was alone in the 2nd box. I had 999,999 by the 1/2 way point of the ride (Hilda). The second time I rode it i was in the first box with a fellow rider and not sure how many but there were people in the 2nd box. My score was around 390,000. So the more people competing to hit notes the lower the score (from what I could gather 1 person has to hit the note for points, if more than 1 hit it at the same time the note survives. ie. no ties). Hope that helps.

Got two rides in today and absolutely exceeded my expectations, I want to thank Six Flags, Sally, and Kings Island for making this all happen, briefly wanted to share my pros and cons of the new ride and Share a few photos from the ride, I plan on many many more rides this summer. Also got a super smooth ride on The Beast so shoutout to the retracking crew for doing a superb job. Phantom Theater Pros: Soundtrack and Toccata is back Facade and Queue is outstanding with the spooky theme All the animatronics are amazing simply put New life has been breathed into the building especially when entering the loading area with the lighting windows Cons: The wait time was ridiculous for a ride that has a tried and true loading process Some effects are cheap and carried over from Boo Blasters like Larry on the turntable and the Bosco door Not sold on the interactive aspect 100 percent, I like it but think it could be better, maybe it’ll grow on me Some of the animatronics have a goofy look that fights with their scary original Overall a phenomenal addition to Kings Island for families and friends to ride for years to come and a worthy successor and tribute to original Phantom Theater and so, so much better than Boo Blasters, could not be happier to have Phantom Theater back at the park.

So I have a theory as to why Kings Island might not have announced the International Showplace Theater show yet. My guess it could be a DC stunt show and they want to make a huge announcement for it (with it being the first legacy Cedar Fair park to have a DC presence) after the news buzz of Phantom Theater’s opening dies down. This show could make way for an announcement of a possible retheme to Action Zone. Almost doing another test on the Kings Island crowd like they did with Phantom Theater.  I can also be completely off and it’s just another typical skateboard/bike show

A few noticeable staffing cuts on some rides. The Eiffel Tower cut the base person Franklin's Flyers is a single op ride now Wasn't able to confirm it, but heard through the grapevine that the 2 Adventure Port rides are single op (correct me if wrong) Not a good look for capacity and throughput as that is apparently a vision for new CEO John Reilly

Unfortunately, the drop in temperature on Saturday seemed to lead to a LOT of people walking around with the ugly AI hoodies.