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I feel the line will be the story of this ride this whole season. I think we can expect a full queue for it everyday this season including weekdays. I even think the extended portion will be used most of the season as well. Hopefully if this is the case that the park and corporate will look at it and see the value of indoor attractions and look to do something in the Crypt building and/or Action Theater in the future that doesn't involve Haunt.

I doubt this would ever happen, but if Kings Island doesn't plan on removing Invertigo anytime soon, would it be possible they could order a new train from Vekoma? It would be similar to how some parks have bought new trains for their SLCs, though obviously it would have to be modified to be able to work with a Vekoma Invertigo model. The park could also tie this in with a retheme to Screamin' Demon to pay homage to that former attraction, which also went forwards and backwards.

Findings after my ride this morning, which admittedly is extremely early so it isn’t perfect. -The audio in some areas are already much better. There is audio with Maestro’s organ during the ride that I haven’t heard the previous weekend. Larry and portraits in the queue are significantly louder. The “main” ride music is still quieter than I’d like it to be. -The smells of burning in the furnace scene and the heat is turned up. This may have also been because I used early entry, but it was glorious. -Unfortunately some screens are already broken. For the most part they have been in locations that wouldn’t be noticed by a first-time rider, but I hate to see it. -Operations seem to already be better with filling every car, but I do fear that having Opening Nightmare as part of passholder ERT is somewhat detrimental (for my own greedy interests in riding it in a loop). It hasn’t been open for 10 minutes and the line was already down to Pumpkin coaster. I feel like if they had a different ride, the crowds may disperse a little better than they currently are, but it is only the second weekend it’s open.

The overall continual sense of "empty space" both literally and figuratively was felt quite heavy on me this past Sunday as I had talked about in the 2026 general discussion thread. And while I am trying to remain optimistic, its difficult when there is this contant sense of things being downgraded or taken away all together. I'm still in the camp of raising pass prices and keeping them at a level that makes them realistic yet not dirt cheap so long as that helps allow for better things to come down the pipeline, as well as help make the park feel less "comfortably crowded". The lack of things to see/do have really been felt since as you stated above @BeeastFarmer. This place used to constantly have events, shows and things to see and do regularly. And sadly I lived further away at the time and didn't go nearly as often where I missed out on a lot of those unique events. To stay on topic though, I wish they would really make an effort to make their most expensive passholders feel valued. Have exclusive Prestige passholder events after hours or something. Or some early morning thing. Not saying Gold pass holders shouldn't have opportunities too, but you know, if you're paying extra for EXTRA benefits, make it worth the while. The current offerings are abysmal and seem to keep getting worse each season. I'm not even a Prestige passholder but I would gladly buy one if I felt that the benefits were worth the extra cost and actually meant something instead of only having a few very small extras thrown in tat barely move the meter. The moral of the story here is it sucks to see the decline all the way around instead of seeing improvements and ACTUAL real exclusives that make the extra money spent feel like it adds something special to each visit.

My review: https://themeparksbydon.com/kings-island-phantom-theater-opening-nightmare-review/

It seems this applies to all Six Flags properties that didn't already have lodging listed on their properties. Cedar Point, Carowinds and Kings Dominion still link to their on-site properties. EDIT: Carowinds has an "off-site hotel packages" tab listed under Places to Stay.

Kings Island has now added a "Places to Stay" tab to their website that links to a Six Flags partner hotels portal. It also has one vacation package available that looks like it includes the room rate and a park ticket.

Manage to score max points on Phantom Theater without E-Stop

Vekoma Madhouse for Crypt

If the park still had it in storage and it was in good enough condition, then I think it was definitely reused (as opposed to SDR making a new one). We've talked on here about a potential Christmas overlay for PT:ON, but I recently had a thought about an easy Halloween overlay. I think it would be really cool if KI and SDR adjusted the queue line experience by having the characters do a new recording of the original Phantom Theater queue audio. It would require some new animatronic programming alongside the new voice line recordings, but I think it would be worth it. I could see the antagonism being a slight issue for the family-friendly nature of the attraction. That said, it'd be for Halloween. Things can be a little scary around Halloween. Bonus points if they keep it open/open it with the antagonistic tones during Haunt since that's a more adult-oriented event. Imagine Maestro repeating some of his iconic lines from the original while the now-unseen organ plays its tunes via Maestro's ghastly presence. Larry and Archie can also be a little more antagonistic — I'll admit I haven't thought through their parts too much yet.

Are the behavior warning stickers in the Queue line their final form or do we think they will be replaced with more permanent signage later on? Some of them looked like they were already peeling off of the wall and, frankly, for a ride that has so much detail in it I feel like the stickers are one of the only parts of the experience that feel cheap.

It would be sad to see, but I think if Six Flags is going to continue to make the Prestige Pass the only way to have access to every park in the chain and have the Gold Pass limited to each Region then the company needs to remove some benefits from Prestige. Maybe they could make it free Preferred Parking only at your home park and free General Parking everywhere else, or remove the free Single-Use Fast Lane each visit. As it stands the Prestige Pass is in a weird limbo of serving both the functions of a Platinum Pass and those of a Prestige Pass when it can't handle both. Obviously the correct answer is to expand the Prestige resources at each park to meet the demand (while raising the price just a little). I don't know that Six Flags is willing to do that yet though. Kings Island just expanded their Preferred Parking lot, but still have the issues of having small VIP Lounges and reduced offerings within it. I personally think the "free" offerings should have always been this small, but that's just me. The biggest reservation I have about passes is the removal of the All Park Passport. I think it should be available as an additional purchase for the Gold Pass and "included" for the Prestige Pass. We've been able to purchase it for Gold Passes since it was introduced and I think we'll see even more people buying Prestige Passes (and contributing to the prestige crowds) without it.

Quick question I was going through the photos on KIC history page of Phantom Theater displays at Haunt and came across this photo of a Vulture, Credit to Tomb Raider, I always thought that was from The Beastie but that looks an awful lot like the Vulture we currently have on Phantom Theater ON, is this vulture from Phantom Theater originally?

https://www.tickettailor.com/events/masonsymphonyorchestra/2000992 Saw this come across their story feed on IG. Thought this seemed pretty unique. Bought two tickets for my lady and I as we were both pretty sick this past weekend and didn't get to do anything for Valentine's Day. So this will make up for it. Pretty cool!

I never got around to following up to this. I've taken a bit of a hiatus away from a lot of things, but since I am trying to get back in the saddle of things, I wanted to follow up here with my thoughts on this event. Starting off, getting into the parking lot itself was a bit confusing since there were no instructions on where to go to get into the parking lot. There was no clear signage either which might have been hard to do seeing as this wasn't a typical event, but alas. We had to utilize the SC entryway instead of the regular main gate. Once we parked, the rest was simple. We headed in towards the main entry and over to the KI Theater. Let me give major kudos to Mason Symphony Orchestra on how kind, helpful and incredibly warm they were to each guest. We were each given a program, a ticket to receive our free ukulele and were offered free popcorn and bottled water. They didn't cheap out on the water either. They were the medium thick sized alkaline Smart waters. They also had a small concession stand for other snacks and beverages too if one so desired. I will also mention they had the water and popcorn offerings on both sides of the theater which I thought was convenient. The gentleman that donated the ukuleles also upped the donation enough to where every single family would receive one to take home, not just a limited number. The entire experience was really positive. Cocoa is such a great movie. They had a person that actually worked for Disney there to make sure everything went accordingly and the Mason Symphony Orchestra played beautifully. They played so well that you nearly forgot that you were watching a film with live musicians. They were that seamless. You forgot until you looked down from the screen and saw real life people playing the music and sound effects. Really something special there. My only real complaint was that it was really cold in the theater. That night got particularly frigid and the theater felt like an ice box. I get cold easily anyways and I was already dressed in one of my warm sasquatch hoodies, but at one point I put my hood up over my head because it was just cold cold. I'm not sure if the KI Theater is equipped with heat, but I would say I hope if there is ever a next time for an event like this I hope they will consider placing some kind of heaters in the theater to keep it from getting so cold. The walk to the car was brutal that night! All in all, this was really an amazing experience and it was very well done. It was a unique use of the KI Theater in the off season and really showcased how capable the theater is for various things. The fact they were able to fit an entire ensemble up there and pull off this show was something special. I 110% recommend attending if they ever do anything like this again and would definitely go again myself. I just wanna drive the point home that I hope they will be better prepared to combat the cold if temps are ever that low again to keep folks warmer inside the building! Kudos to KI for hosting this and for the smooth operations and major kudos to Mason Symphony Orchestra for an incredible showcase of talent and hospitality.

If I had to rate Phantom Theatre: Opening Nighmare, it gets a 10/10. For context, I never got to expereince the original Phantom Theatre. I did get to experience Scooby Doo and The Haunted Castle as well as Boo Blaster on Boo Hill. I will always have a fond opinion of Scooby Doo and The Haunted Castle because that was what I grew up with. And I did enjoy Boo Blasters on Boo Hill when all of the effects and targets and blasters still worked. After about 2015, Boo Blasters on Boo Hill really started to fall off. When it was announced that Boo Blasters on Boo Hill was closing and that Phantom Theatre: Opening Nightmare was replacing it, I was very excited. As Opening Day for this year got closer and closer and more looks at the rides developement were released, I wasn't only excited, I was also beginning to raise the bar in my mind for this ride. Before I got into line, I made something clear to myself so I could give it a proper and balanced judgement and I think everyone should look at it from this angle: This is a reimagination NOT a recreation. I have so far managed to grab 2 rides. One on Preview day and another on Opening day. I have to say that not only was I impressed, but my expectations were exceeded! Phantom Theatre: Opening Nightmare does so much right. It is a fantastic dark ride that has a fun story, detailed and well done scenes, and has a great interactive side that anyone can enjoy. You can really tell that a lot of effort was put into this ride. There are miniscuel issues but they are easily fixable and are extremely outweighted by the postitives of Phantom Theatre: Opening Nightmare. So Phantom Theatre: Opening Nightmare gets a 10/10 from me! Lastly, I would like to say that this is something KI has needed for YEARS. A refresh of the dark ride. I know a lot of us park fans and roller coaster enthusiats want to see new big coasters and rides come to KI. Believe me, I am in that same boat. But at the same time, the smaller additions KI has gotten over the last several years havent been that bad. I personally believe the strategy was to spruce up dead/ugly areas of KI and bring them to the same level as the rest of the park. The area where Adventure Port is now was boring and uninteresting before the additions of Cargo Loco and Sol Spin. That refresh brought new life to that area and it looks as good as the rest of the park. The addition of Camp Snoopy also did the same thing. That area beforehand was ugly and devoid of anything interesting and now its one of the more popular areas of KI. With Phantom Theatre: Opening Nightmare, not only did we get a much needed refresh of the dark ride, we got a top tier dark ride that is a smash hit. For me personally, Boo Blasters on Boo Hill ran its course around 2020. This refresh was long overdue and I am absouletly happy we got this. I have zero doubts that KI will recieve a new major coaster and/or thrill ride in the next few years. But these smaller additions have done more to boost and round out the lineup of KI more than I think people give them credit for.

I think in the original, the pepper's ghost effect could've been interpreted as the performers 'disappearing' instead of materializing, since Larry calls it "the final performance" and we don't see most of them to the end of the ride... but that also doesn't make sense since they technically weren't ghosts in the original according to the creators. I think in theory the effect could've been cool in this version. Since the scenes are more synced to each opera box, Car A could've seen them appear, and Car B could have them disappear. But also adding the large glass panels would’ve definitely taken away from the budget, and realistically they’d probably use screens for the characters instead of the animatronics we did get.

Maybe sometime in the next 10 years we can get more pieces of the park's "soul" restored! A boat ride, a Vortex successor, an Action Zone replacement, and a return to character for Rivertown would be nice to have. As for the Pepper's Ghost effects, I agree that it could have just been fun to have again even if it didn't make sense within the "story".

Nice piece. Feel very similar in the sense that it feels like a missing part of the park’s “soul” has been restored. Been feeling that since 2003, but caught a glimpse of it in 2022/2023 with PT Encore. Makes me want to get back on the ride ASAP!

It should be the first thing you see before they become "real" but as you said, I think the goal was just to have the effect - not actually tell a logical story sequence as they do at the disney versions. In this version- it could actually be having a scene not using the current characters, but maybe the "ghosts of theatre greats past" who could share the stage with the current cast, but I think you'd have to show them throughout the ride as photos, posters etc to establish thesre are "dearly departed theatre greats" so when they reappear as pepper'sn ghosts it makes sense. I think thats way more thought than they were giving this refresh

Never thought about how it technically could not make sense to have physical ghouls... and then seeing ghosts afterward.. esp garbonzo I think specifically is shown as a robot and then in the peppers ghost room. Absolutely true. But, it's a unique spectacle that adds variety, and for a kid, could be the coolest thing for awhile. And thats what it was for me. So, I wouldve liked it to return (the effect) or to be met/ exceeded in visual "cool" factor.. and for me, it didn't match it. Some agree, some dont. Apologies if my post specifically was too whiny in that aspect. I wonder how, if we did get a peppers ghost effect, how it could be done that maintains narrative sense.. but I dont know if I'd care too much.

In reality I think they reused the turntable and the library scene room because it was easier and cheaper. That's not to say that this version is bad at all, I simply think whatever could have been done to bring the large theater back would have required KI and SDR to stretch their budget further while butting up against the constraints of the game mechanics. The smaller animatronics alone might've posed an issue since they would've required each character body to be re-scaled and the mechanics changed. I'm not entirely sure how far down beneath the scene the ride floor level went, but that might've posed an issue in itself depending on what Paramount and SDR did during the conversion to SDatHC.

We shared a lot of the sentiments listed above.

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.

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?

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.

The chips have been downgraded in the VIP "Lounge". We now have the option of 3 chips of slightly more than half an ounce. A kids lunch sized portion.

I hope the park can find a way to host more stuff like this in the KIT throughout the year! It's a nice venue and could easily host smaller concerts or the award ceremony stuff for Music in the Parks. I think the A/C would make up for the lost capacity moving from Timberwolf. They used to host the awards and lunch over in Picnic Grove, though I don't recall when they moved it. I know Carowinds uses their indoor theater for a Festival of Music (somehow different from MitP) and it seems nice enough for it.

Apparently the first 150 groups get a free ukulele...

Me too. It's definitely different to see. I'll report back some time after the experience!

I also saw this and thought it's kinda cool the theater is being used in the office season

It appears the broken led lights on the peak of the Grain & Grill swiss building did not get fixed/replaced during the off-season.