Hawaiian Coasters 325

Like I said, I was only 6/7 years old during the 2009 season, but does anyone remember if there were rumors during the summer of Nick going away in favor of Peanuts and if a lot of people doubted it bc they just redid the Nick area 3 years prior? Just wondering as with the talk surrounding the Peanuts IP in recent weeks, it makes me wonder if history may be about to repeat itself nearly 2 decades later. In fact, I remember finding out that Nick was being changed to Snoopy that Winter (2010). I think it was during our "annual" New Years staycation that we would take for a few years at the Comfort Suites in Kings Mills and our room had a view of the park which I still have photos from that so I'll share a few. Anyways I had no idea what Snoopy was at the time, but I knew of Charlie Brown as we would watch the specials at home and in school during Library. I didn't really know Snoopy and Charlie Brown were the same thing until getting to the park that Summer and seeing all the changes to kiddie land.

I have very vague memories of that summer as I was 6 (turned 7 that summer) and finished 1st grade. I was just about 48" that year and I remember bc the measuring was off at some rides. For example: I was measured with the height stick at Zephyr and was able to ride and then at Adventure Express in the station I was measured on the height scale things they had back then and was just a hare too short. I then got better shoes and measured tall enough for the 48" rides (I would not recommend doing that as ride ops do have the right to ask to remove shoes if they suspect the shoes were being tampered with). All that year I was terrified to ride bigger 48" rides like Beast, Racer, Vortex (RIP), Flight Deck (The Bat), and Drop Tower. I did end up on Adventure Express though and I remember hating it with a passion lol. I was in the process of growing out of my fear of coasters which took several years. During those days I would get dragged onto the Fairly Odd Coaster (now Woodstock Express) kicking and screaming bc I didn't like the "big" drop lol. I remember my Dad, my next door neighbor (who was a couple years older than me), and her Dad going on Diamondback and me staying behind bc I was too short and I remember thinking that was the biggest and coolest coaster ever lol. I remember going by the park while it was being built and seeing the big red crane and thinking that was the ride lol. SOB I have zero memory of it operating as nobody in my family or group would ride it as I was always told how rough it was lol. In fact, my main memories of SOB is just seeing it sit there SBNO when going back to ride Flight Deck from 2010-2012.

I'd go up to the top of the Eiffel Tower and sleep up in the control penthouse

Ik it's unlikely they'd do an animatronic based ride, but if this is a Phantom Theater revival and since Sally Dark Rides (assuming that's who is behind this project) makes animatronics. I really want them to at least have an animatronic maestro playing the organ in the queue area like in the original Phantom Theater. What I don't want is what is in the queue now where FunTVs are playing. The FunTV's in BB's queue imo is the worst location for FunTVs in the park.

Those people didn't realize that Selim Bassoul is chairman of the board which technically has the most power. I would honestly feel a lot better if Selim was ousted and a legacy CF exec was placed as chairman of the board.

Apples and oranges here. Vortex closed at the end of the regular operating season. Boo Blasters is closing in the middle of the season. Likely bc they want to start work on it asap so they can get whatever is planned up and running next spring.

I can guarantee you that they wouldn't close it this early if there wasn't any new attraction planned for the space for next season. They would likely wait until after Winterfest is over.

I think it has more to do with it would be in the shadow of the big Oktoberfest event downtown and they know it wouldn't be as good as that one and they don't want people comparing the two.

I don't think they would need to close it before the end of the season if it were going to sit empty next year. I think it makes sense to close it at the beginning of september so they can start gutting it for construction to begin asap if the goal is to have whatever is next open by next spring. Ik we're still concerned about 2026 capital still happening based on the conference call, but from what I understand they mentioned parks that received major investements in 2025 (ie AlpenFury at Wonderland) helping carry attendance over to next year so I think parks that received major investments this year (ie Wonderland, Cedar Point, KD, SF Great America) won't see anything new in 26 bc they can keep marketing their new for 2025 coasters. KI on the other hand got a Soak City expansion this year so I think a 2026 new ride/attraction is still on the table.

Tricks and Treats is cool and all, but I really wish KI would do an Oktoberfest event in the Festhaus area. Other parks in the chain do it and Cincy area has a lot of German roots so it would fit so well here. Also Carowinds does a Tricks and Treats parade. I think it would be cool if KI does that too,

I came up with this idea since Six Flags owns the rights to Warner Bros properties. Instead of just having looney toons take over the kids area, make it a full on WB Discovery World. Think Nickelodeon Universe where it wasn't just one show IP, it was the whole brand. It also would bring back nostalgia since Scooby Doo is part of this. Maybe Scooby and the gang return to the Haunted Castle?

Im like 99% sure the crypt building is for a new Haunt either the conjuring or something else. Im not saying 100% as the park hasn't announced it yet. I think it's very likely what was originally eyed for KI back in November when that press release came out got shifted and something else is planned instead or nothing at all. (think Adventure Port where that wasn't the original plan for 2023 as was decided on later in the 2022 season).

I really hope KI doesn't get Looney Toons. That IP is so outdated. This isn't the 1980s. If Peanuts isn't an option, I'd be all for rebranding Planet Snoopy into DC Universe. Now that would be better as most kids know who Superman or Batman is.

Imo that's probably the right decision. If it takes until July to open a new major attraction, you shouldn't invest in another new ride the next year and you should push all your marketing next season of what was new this season. Also imo it should give them the opportunity to reset construction timelines as ever since LazyBear Lodge in 2022 (which opened in the fall I believe) they had been far behind on construction projects.

Anyone who listened to the conference call today, was there any mention about 2026 capital plans for the chain?

^^ Those are almost always closed dates at KI as local students are back in school then which makes it harder to find staff.

To be fair it is a Saturday with good weather and for kids summer is winding down as school starts in the next couple weeks.

Hopefully we'll hear something then.

I feel like we won't see new ride announcements until sometime around the quarterly conference call in August and they'll probably just roll them out in a press release at once.

Or how about gut the entire building including the peanuts showplace (that's only used for meet and greets nowadays) and the park services warehouse or "the cage" as associates call it. (They could move that somewhere else) and do a whole new dark ride layout. Have the entrance and exit be right by the Family Care Center. Then you could have it be a part of International street.

I went Friday as well and got on Siren's twice including once in front row. It was a fantastic ride and I wouldn't mind something like that eventually making its way to KI. Maybe a Vortex replacement? Imagine standing at The Beast's exit ramp and looking up and seeing a tilt coaster tilting.

With 2026 season passes set to go on sale the 31st and how much we're seeing some parks already teasing that date if that's when we'll see Six Flags roll out their 2026 capital plans. In recent years, that's what Cedar Fair did. Also worth mentioning that Great Adventure announced their planned 2026 record breaking coaster has been delayed. With not really much evidence/rumors at KI recently, I'm starting to wonder if KI will follow suit. I'm actually starting to hear rumblings that the crypt building is going to be a new Haunt along with the Blackout building (take with grain of salt as nothing has been announced/confirmed by the park yet and I don't know anything.) If that's true, I'm wondering if KI is going to get a ride from Six Flags America or if Boo Blasters is getting updated. Guessing we'll find out July 31st.

If I were to guess both are for Carowinds. Rip Roarin' Falls is the name of the water ride and Timber Hallow is the area name.

I'm hearing nothing but good things about it so far. Tbh if SF sees it as a success, I could very well see a ride like AlpenFury come to KI. Maybe an Invertigo/Congo/Timberwolf/Skyflyer replacement?

Im guessing you don't remember when there were car advertisments all over the park in the early CF days? I believe also in late Paramount/early CF there were "ride fact" signs sponsored by Marathon Gas. So ads in the park is not new.