FUN&ONLY!

I didn’t now that the operator could control the blasters at Tower 3 at one point. Today, only the guests can fire those water cannons. I guess right now nobody can fire them. It would be cool if Kings Island let the employees activate the blasters when guests aren’t actively paying to use them. That section is not very fun when nobody is firing the water cannons. The employees are generally better with aim, too. The guests often miss the boats completely.

The operator could never blast people from that area. Guests can only do that. The operator can only hit people from the area before it.

Unfortunately, I did not take a picture of the sign. I can describe where it is, though. In the queue, when the entrance and exit split off, the exit sign says Canyon Blasters. A red sticker that says “coming soon” is placed over the “Canyon Blasters” on the exit sign. The canons do remain. However, the coin machine and the controllers are gone. In my mind, it makes sense to update the controllers as some of them have been broken for years. Also, Kings Island could install new controllers that accept credit card payments straight up instead of having to buy tokens.

Does anyone know what happened to the White Water Canyon Blasters? They are missing, and while there is a sticker that says “coming soon” on a sign, they have been gone all summer.

If Kings Island wanted to keep the trees and midway games, I feel like the sky ride would have to be pretty high off the ground. With such a high sky ride, it could potentially lose its interaction with Coney Mall if it is just so high above everything.

A sky ride down the Coney Mall midway would probably mean the removal of many trees. That is the last thing Kings Island needs.

Orion’s seatbelts do retract. The operators usually pull out the seatbelts to get the riders buckled in faster. It is faster for the operators to buckle the riders in themselves or simply hand the riders the buckles rather than the riders having to reach for their buckles.

Hopefully we see the second train return soon!

Both trains run on weekends. Likely only one of the trains was being transferred off. The other one could have operated until 10:00 PM.

The reason the ride operators on Orion will lift the seatbelts out is to make it easier to get guests buckled quickly. It prevents guests from sitting on the seatbelts before getting buckled.

It sounds like it will be a record year in terms of revenue but not attendance. That is not necessarily a bad thing, though, because money is what actually matters to Cedar Fair. The press release mentions attendance is up roughly 2% year-to-date. However, attendance is down about 5% compared to 2019.

I really hope that if Phantom Theater comes back, it comes roaring back, and it is not just as a “cheap” reskin of Boo Blasters. I know Phantom Theater was originally where Boo Blasters is, but I would not mind a new Phantom Theater going elsewhere. Kings Island needs more indoor rides. Boo Blasters and Phantom Theater can coexist.

I agree. It just looks so much better.

I don’t think people would be hanging around the entrance over International Street. I also don’t think Kings Island would purposely keep the entrance looking outdated to encourage people to hang out on International Street I think the current entrance could simply be more welcoming by having a greater curb appeal. If the facade received a more themed makeover, the ticket booths were renovated, and pavers were installed, I believe the entry experience would be greatly enhanced. Would it keep people from hanging out on International Street? Of course not! After all, people use the entrance to ENTER the park. A renovated entrance would simply give guests a better first impression of the park.

I don’t think the entrance should be sleek and modern, but I definitely think it could use a refresh. In terms of appearance and theming, the entrance leaves a lot to be desired. Ideally, Kings Island would keep the entrance building but update the facade and renovate the ticket booths giving the whole plaza a more international feel as a preview of what’s to come. It would also be cool if Kings Island replaced the concrete with pavers.

Kings Island is not an ugly park, but I agree, the park could use a lot more landscaping and trees in certain places. The blacktop area behind the Eiffel Tower especially has me scratching my head when I walk through it. More trees, landscaping, or anything would make it look better.

Gold Passholders do need to buy tickets to go to the Timberwolf concerts. I believe there is a discounts for passholders though. Daily tickets do not give you access to Timberwolf concerts as the concerts have completely separate admission.

There’s not any rollercoaster from California’s Great America that I could see being relocated to Kings Island that would be a good fit on The Vortex plot of land. The only rollercoaster I could see coming to Kings Island from California’s Great America is Psycho Mouse, but I couldn’t see that going where Vortex was. The ride would probably go in Planet Snoopy.

In this video from Amusement Insiders, he mentions that Canada’s Wonderland is pulling in 3 times the attendance of Kings Island and Cedar Point on a weekday basis. I don’t know how legit that statistic is, but if it is remotely true, I am sure Canada’s Wonderland will be fine.

I agree. If Kings Island really wanted to hide The Beast, they should remove Orion because it’s turnaround can be seen from The Beast. In all seriousness, a new rollercoaster could potentially completely hide The Beast’s station and first lift hill. When Vortex was still around, you couldn’t see The Beast at all from that stretch of midway. Yeah, there were some trees that helped hide The Beast that were a casualty of Vortex’s demolition. But Kings Island could still plant new trees around the layout of a new coaster. That plot of land needs a new coaster.

I agree with this. I like that Mike Koontz prioritizes having comfortable rides. Although, this preference may have cost us Vortex. I feel like a lot of parks don’t care as much about having rough rides in their lineup when they really should. Look at Canada’s Wonderland for example. They have a lot of rough and uncomfortable rides that probably could be removed or re-tracked (in the case of wooden rollercoasters).

Mike Koontz for better or for worse seems to have something against rough and uncomfortable rides. During his tenure, The Racer and The Beast have undergone major track work that has dramatically improved smoothness. His potential disdain for rough and uncomfortable rides may have cost us Vortex, but it at least gave us improved wooden rollercoasters with The Racer and The Beast.

Vortex probably did not have to be removed. It likely could have operated as is for a few more years. Eventually, though, it would have needed a repaint and a new controls system to modernize it. I don't remember Mike Koontz saying it would need new trains and track in Kings Island: A Ride Through Time, but that is certainly a possibility if management wanted to make the ride more enjoyable. Ultimately, I guess management didn’t believe the cost of such upgrades to be worth it.

I agree with you. I do want Vortex replaced soon, but only if it is a well thought out good addition. I just don’t want anything else removed before Vortex is replaced.

I really don’t want to see The Bat removed soon. I love the ride, and Vortex needs replaced first before anything else goes.