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The concrete islands that were put into the three Taft International Streets are ugly, tacky and do not tie into the lands. However, the lush landscape helps to disguise them. KI did not have lush landscaping...it was linden trees with some rose of sharon and ornamental grass. And because people, people, often trash was thrown in. KD has to compete with BGW. Taft had to appease the local opposition and has maintained that charm. I'll take today's IS at KI over the 2018 IS any day.

I really would like to see the area outside the ride get some sort of soundtrack. I was thinking something similar of the soundtrack heard in this video playing outside of Scooby Doo and the Haunted Castle at 2:04-2:15. I think the pathway that goes from I-street to the Phantom Theater entrance as well as down by the Great Pumpkin Coaster needs to have some sort of eerie/spooky soundtrack playing to build up anticipation. You can then move the Planet Snoopy soundtrack to the area by the Whirlybird entrance. I also wouldn't mind seeing the Great Pumpkin Coaster rethemed to match Phantom Theater. Ghoster Coaster maybe? Then turn the Peanuts Showplace into a Phantom Theater meet and greet or an actual Phantom Theater themed theater. Then move the Peanuts meet and greet to Beagle Scout Acres.

Pretty cool the Starbucks is getting in on the Phantom Theater theming. I actually was just thinking the other day how it was a missed opportunity that Starbucks wasn't doing a special "pink/purple drink" themed around Phantom Theater. Well looks like the park had the same thought! I'm not much of a Coffee drinker, but I love the look and nostalgia of the pink drink at Starbucks even though I've never tried it. Now can we get the Banshee Twist back maybe themed to Phantom this time?

Some sloppers claim that it makes art more accessible to disabled people. It doesnt. Disabled artists hate AI slop and just keep on creating art.

Well, I first heard about the AI slop merchandise being sold at Cedar Point a month or two ago. Not surprisingly, Kings Island is doing the same. Mystic Timbers' track is going wacky. Banshee looks like Diamondback. Orion has three seats per row and a vertical spike. Those are just a few examples. And the longer you look at them, the worse they get. I wonder... have you seen anyone actually wearing this slop, whether it be from CP, KI, or other Six Flags parks?

I am very concerned for the longevity of smooth operations on Phantom, but I’m hoping SDR manufactured most of the major effects (Animatronics) for longevity and easy maintenance. I think projections, even if some are already down and they may not be perfectly synced, will be easier to repair compared to physical targets. I’m hoping merch sales prove to be successful so this becomes a flagship ride that they’d want to continue to upkeep (plushies would make so much money. Just saying.) I’d love to see a Phantom Meet and Greet, I think that can be really successful for social media cross-promotion. I’d love to see area music from the ride that you can hear before you enter the lobby. I think a speaker could go under the bridge or on the merchandise stand, or even playing some audio inside the actual exit if that wouldn’t interfere with the queue door.

**DOUBLE POST** I wouldn't mind seeing the gas lamps brought back. I don't see them replacing the lighting trusses though as they serve a purpose. I think if I were in charge I would put them on the pathway between the main path and where the tables are, but it would be a singular lamp not the 3 lamp posts that were there before. Then I would add the three lamp posts in the grass areas around the Eiffel Tower legs as well as on the path in front of the Festhaus as well as by the KI Theater towards Action Zone.

They're used for the moving spotlights during the nightly firework shows.

That statement is really gross. Disability is a broad term and plenty of folks who have what would medically be considered a disability have insanely amazing creative outlets. If anything, the same people stanning such an absurd statement should realize that AI is stealing from the very people they think they are defending 🙃

I don't think the park needs to stay true to the ride theme (it's already so loose as it exists right now), they need to bring back some variation of the Rivertown Mining Co. building and give it some good and powerful fans. Copy the structure concept over from Beast's queue if it needs a reference. Diamondback can keep its snake name, but KI should make the queue look more "Rivertown" themed when viewing it from the pathway.

And keep places open as long as the sign says. On Saturday, Tower Drinks said open until 8:30 and by 7pm it had been closed and wrapped up like it was never open...

So, I rode Phantom Theater its second weekend, and it's taken me a bit to process exactly what I think. The ride storyline? Wonderful. It reimagines the original concept of the ride (which, not to be a hater, but I think it wasn't anything to write home about) into something that has a story and a progression and is engaging. The new "guns?" Fantastic. It's such an elevation of the shooter dark ride concept to have you aim at projections instead of specific targets. They can put a target anywhere, make them move, make them disappear when shot--it's an objective improvement over the 20 year-old standard we had from 2003 to 2025. It makes the whole experience much more dynamic. The animatronics? Incredibly well-done. I LOVE the queue. The way the cars have been reconfigured to move in close groups of 1-2 cars (with plenty of space between groups) instead of consistently placing them with one empty space between? SO smart. It allows scenes to reset between groups, which was something the shooter dark rides in that building severely lacked. Giving the scenes the chance to refresh makes the experience feel a lot more intentional, rather than seeing (for example) Boocifer finish his line for the car ahead, reset, and then repeat himself, which was basically always my experience on Boo Blasters and it reminds you that you're on a dark ride instead of on an adventure. However. I feel like Kings Island, across every owner since at least 1991, has consistently bitten off more than it could chew (or, to be plain, upkeep) when it comes to theming. I fear Phantom Theater: Opening Nightmare may become one of the more egregious examples of this, perhaps even by the end of the season. Adventure Express, the original Phantom Theater, Flight of Fear, Tomb Raider: The Ride, Scooby Doo and the Haunted Castle, Queen City Stunt Coaster, Boo Blasters on Boo Hill, and Mystic Timbers have all opened with theming that none of the owners across those eras could or would put the upkeep budget or staffing into consistently. Boo Blasters infamously had a fog wall effect that lasted maybe a month or two after opening, disappeared, and never came back. The best that's happened (almost all within the last 5 or so years, mind you) is that some of those rides got their theming repaired and refurbished as a capital investment, meaning they became advertised additions instead of, y'know, part of the maintenance budget so the park could consistently offer top-form attractions. Without knowing details, Phantom Theater seems like the most high-tech ride to hit the park since at least 2002, possibly ever. And like, elsewhere in the park... Adventure Express's final lift is basically back where it was pre-refurb. None of Mystic Timbers' lights sway, the Coke machine doesn't move, and more. It's just the tape deck, the lights that may or may not flicker, and the projectors that may or may not properly align audio and video and train location to show you whichever monster. QCSC probably won't use the helicopter at all. Even on my Phantom ride, cracks were showing. One scene, a screen didn't play as our car passed. Another scene, the appearance/disappearance of notes was out of sync with our car. They disappeared as we passed. Neither of those ruined the experience, by any means--I'm not disillusioned with the ride because that happened. I had a great time. But I'd be lying if I said that from an upkeep standpoint, that didn't feel the slightest bit ominous. It was weekend two. I'm supposed to believe that the management who can't keep Adventure Express's final lift fully lit will keep several projectors properly calibrated with the lights from dozens of flashlights and timed with the car groups for 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, for 6 months straight this year? I'm having a very hard time believing opening day 2027 Phantom Theater will feel like the same ride as 2026 Phantom Theater, in an unfortunate way. And it's annoying, because this is a darn good ride that millions of people should be able to experience as it was meant to be experienced. I would really, really like to be wrong. It does make me wonder what the strategy is with new rides. Like, does the ride have to serve a certain ROI the first year to be considered a success, and then it just has to be enough of a semblance of itself to not actively drag down the average guest's day while not demanding too much money? Tangentially related, I've got a hunch we'll see PT replace more of the Boo Blasters chainwide. Much like with Justice League: Battle for Metropolis, I wonder if the cost of developing the ride will be offset by copying and pasting it elsewhere. It certainly wasn't a cheaply-developed ride, and I wouldn't be mad to see it show up at some of the other parks.

More water features and a new soundtrack.

Finally got to ride! I love the queue, it kept me pretty entertained for quite some time. The portraits in the hallway are excellent. And the loading area.. Far exceeded my expectations! Its so cool! I was struggling with learning the blaster basically the whole ride. Between that and how many scenes there are, it took some time for my brain to process it all and my love of the ride increased as a result while using the bathroom after getting off the ride. I am really pleased about the castle redesign and the designs of the vehicles and blasters and that they brought the most iconic song from PT: E into the ride. Projecting notes on a lot of the scenes instead of having screens everywhere was a brilliant move. Larry running around the way he is towards the end of the ride is such a clever reference to Scooby Doo/Boo Blasters. The scene that references was one of my favorite things about Scooby Doo/Boo Blasters. I was honestly really shocked at how different the scenes are compared to Boo Blasters to be honest. Overall, it is a fantastic addition to Kings Island and I need to ride it more to fully appreciate and process everything that is there on ride. Way better than Villain Con Minion Blast and Fast & The Furious Supercharged.

Now that's an article I'd like to read, Don. Would love to see one of top 10 dirty and top 10 clean

Its sloppy and really just absolutely sick of AI being used everywhere. There is literally nothing good about AI that I can think of. I just want clean air, water, land and for people to use the thing between their ears.

What bothers me is that they use AI, but then don't fix the errors that exist. Like if I was the one in charge of what gets sold, I would be like "well Orion only has 3 rows so let's change that" That should have been addressed before they even printed shirts and hoodies of it. Just goes to show the lack of care they put into merchandise.

Noasterstock 2026 at Kings Island? Via Cedar Point: