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I will continue to say that the merchandise is priced too high....I'd venture to say, they'd sell even more if the prices were brought down. Do I buy a $48 shirt (spitballing atm) or do I buy a snack at Sweetspot for much less?

I think it wouldn’t really work since it’s Maestro’s line that’s meant to be menacing, and “Are you ready to be an usher? It’s 10 minutes until showtime!” is already iconic due to the excessive amount of times it’s repeated. I would give it at least a month before saying that the music or any effects are absent (even though my quote omissions feel like something that wasn’t built into the ride.) They’ve been adjusting the audio to address guest feedback, and hopefully they’ve taken notice of the lower volume of the music since multiple people have commented on that. I think the original theme should be playing during the “dressing rooms” and storage area sections of the ride, and the audio is too low for most guests to hear.

The lack of a full musical underscore throughout the ride is one of the most curious design choices of Opening Nightmare. We should absolutely be hearing a big full version of that iconic theme by the time the ghost notes return to the Maestro's organ as a finale.

The multiple voice lines in the previous Phantom Theater was absolutely a strength of that version. I was hoping for that to show up in this version so the story would feel less canned and more robust. That repetition ended up being a huge detriment to Boo Blasters because the audio was a) poorly timed and b) well heard throughout the ride, so you never really felt like the show was tailored to you. They definitely fixed the timing on this go around, but I do yearn for some variety.

I absolutely agree with the voicelines. I think Larry at the beginning is also noticeable. I think more voicelines and having the animatronics run on a loop instead of being triggered would work nicely. I believe they’re triggered because SDR is more familiar with that style of dark ride instead of the omnimover. It seems constantly running animatronics are better suited for the omnimover.

Maestro is allergic to dogs.

Rozzi Fireworks is looking for a local drone pilot to help with the nightly drone show at Kings Island beginning May 22nd. The post didn't mention anything about fireworks, but it's entirely possible for that to be a result of the job not requiring interactions with any fireworks rather than it being a sign that the fireworks have been cut for 2026. The starting date lines up with the beginning of 10PM closures. I'm a little worried that this will be the year we lose the fireworks, especially since there's not much official information available from the park on entertainment offerings. Most of the stuff we know about is either from Brad Ross' posts and signage around the park that only says show names and start dates. Source: Jonas Jakeway on Facebook.

I'd rather keep the current drink plan. Especially on hot days. As for the meal plan, I really would rather they keep it since that helps make for a smooth and easy trip without having to budget that cost into my day. They could raise the price if they needed to and it would still be an incredible value for anyone who chose to purchase it. Things are priced far too low, period. If they raised the prices some that would help offset costs on their end and also enhance the quality. Then if the math mathed, they could lower the price some for those who don't have the meal plan to where it falls into some reasonable range.

How would you feel about Larry saying it instead of Maestro (since his animatronic is already there)? I'd love to see that thread happen and input some thoughts of my own after you start it! The changes between seasons would probably need to be quick/easy (I'm talking a one-day turnover per season), so new voicelines and maybe some new movements might be easiest. If it was possible I'd leave the ride experience as-is for Tricks and Treats, then play the re-recorded original voicelines and the original soundtrack for Haunt. Some Christmas trees and Santa hats would be good for Winterfest since it's (likely) going to very popular for the heating. One of my only gripes about this new ride is that I never seem to hear the original main theme, just the new version that's a different arrangement.

I don't think building a Grand Pavilion-esque restaurant would necessarily push a potential coaster back to 2030, but I could see someone at SF corporate making the case for that. Generally, I think Kings Island getting anything like the GP would be smaller in footprint and have a much simpler roofline. The simplified architecture would drop the cost. I haven't been able to find a cost for that building though. There's also a chance that Kings Island builds a second Coney Bar-B-Que with a different facade design. We saw this with The Farmhouse (Cedar Point), Crystal Rock Cafe (Cedar Point), and the Pier 76 Cafe (California's Great America). Worlds of Fun got a near-exact Coney Bar-B-Que clone in the River City Grill. It's entirely possible that if we do get a new restaurant it will be a recreation of one that the company already built around 2018. This could also coincide with some of the legacy Six Flags parks getting new restaurants as part of the ongoing projects to improve dining experiences across the chain.

I wouldn't be surprised if Invertigo closes the same year the park starts construction on whatever is replacing Vortex.

I think I’ve said this somewhere else, but the ride would be 20/10 for me if they had kept “So you wanted to see the theater did ya?”, which could’ve easily gone where Larry’s first onboard audio message currently is since that isn’t necessary to the storyline. I say the same for the boiler men and gargoyle having their quotes. I doubt the ride is something that changes too much from where it is now, but I’d love for them to add a bit more audio if they ever wanted to return to it. But personally I love most of the changes they’ve made: I know people are upset Maestro isn’t as antagonistic, but I think the queue audio actually handles that well. I might make a thread about it in the future if I have a strong enough concept, but I’d love a haunt/winterfest overlay that actually changes some of the audio and story to the ride instead of just putting Santa hats on all the characters. I don’t think there’s any financial incentives for it though, I think people are showing up to these events and will ride the indoor ride if it’s open regardless.

I just watched it and thought it would be an amazing Halloween overlay! He lined all of the audio up pretty well with the new scenes and overlaid some of the new audio onto the old to make it more immersive! Imagine this ride experience in addition to a re-recording of the original queue soundtrack. That would be a fantastic seasonal throwback to the original while still allowing the new version to keep its spotlight during the rest of the year. Great job @BryanJay! I hope the park takes this into consideration for some special event/festival rides!!

And I would honestly be shocked if Tony Carovillano isn't the same way. After all he was supervisor at Vortex during its first few years I believe. I'm honestly sure any park president who knows and understands the park doesn't want to lose any of their major rides especially when they still haven't replaced the one removed years prior.

I was curious, so I googled this expression, which lead me to Wikipedia. It's pretty fascinating! "The phrase is thought to come from Pliny the Elder's Naturalis Historia, regarding the discovery of a recipe written by the Pontic king Mithridates to make someone immune to poison.[2] One of the ingredients in the recipe was a grain of salt. Threats involving poison were thus to be taken "with a grain of salt", and therefore less seriously. The phrase cum grano salis ("with a grain of salt") is not what Pliny wrote. Pliny's actual words were addito salis grano ("after having added a grain of salt"). The Latin word sal (salis is the genitive) means both "salt" and "wit", thus the Latin phrase cum grano salis could be translated to either "with a grain of salt" or "with a grain of wit", actually to "with caution"/cautiously.[3] The phrase is typically said "with a pinch of salt" in British English and said "with a grain of salt" in American English.[4]" Source: Wikipedia lol

I honestly think Festhaus as a whole needs a top-down renovation.

Good. Thats a excellent reflection of the growing and rightful rejection of AI slop. And it will only keep going because the reasons why it all sucks are so vast that just about any person can resonate with at least one of them.

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?

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.