Losantiville Mining Co.

Double posting to mention that the Royal Fountain has started its testing!

I was thinking the Snake Pit Saloon was either that or a replacement for the Outpost Frozen Cocktails location. That structure needs to be turned back into a food stand, but I guess it's whatever for now. For anyone counting there are now 5 official bars in Rivertown (Outpost, Brewhouse, Whistlestop, Snake Pit, and the bar counter in front of LaRosa's).

I think it will definitely look better if/when the foliage grows in. Removing the eyes does make the windows look a little plain, but the issues with the parapet could be solved by adding a roof trim like the original had. It could either be flat (like the image below) or still be curved to go with the rest of the current structure. The rubble and missing stucco details are fine IMO. They add to the rundown look the ride is going for. (I think this image was made by either BryanJay or Hawaiian Coasters 325, sorry if I got it wrong though!) One thing that keeps getting me is all of the people who are baffled to see that the ride will have a very cartoon-y art style. I completely understand why they wanted a more refined look, but this should not be a shock to anyone who's seen the singular piece of promotional art that's been used for the new ride since August.

I like the new color scheme more than I thought I would. Would it have been nice to see bigger changes to the castle? Definitely, but I still think it's a lot better than what was there for 15 years after nothing substantial was changed for Boo Blasters. The view of the right side windows was more hidden during its time as Boo Blasters. It's possible that once the new foliage grows in it will be covered more. The eyes give me Scooby-Doo vibes more than anything, which is a nice little callback if anything. The center-left pillar of the entrance Finally, a look back at the original facade. I don't think they would have ever sprung for something this realistic when the new ride is already so much more cartoon-y than the original. That's fine with me. (Photo: Rick Davis via DAFE)

I've been seeing those as well, though from this distance they don't entirely look like the temporary queue fencing KI normally puts up. Could it be possible that they're slot-in extended queue stanchions/fencing like some other parks use? That would be a much prettier alternative to the temporary metal fences they normally use. A simple post and chain fence would accomplish the same effect while also looking better than what the park already uses.

I'm still trying to figure out, is this the wall that was right there or is it a new path. Now that it's been a few days since I first noticed it I'm starting to think it's just the wall. It'd be really cool to have a path there again (honestly there should be one for the emergency door IMO). The confusion really stems from the fact that a) I'd never seen it on the webcam before and b) it didn't look like the wall.

Looking around the new Fast Lane websites and found something interesting on Carowinds' site. They have options for all of the standard FL rides and are offering The Conjuring: Beyond Fear as an option. I don't know if they're actually offering Fast Lane (I suspect they are since it's on the new website) but I'm wondering if it's a test run for including a priority line during Haunt. That's a terrible idea for Haunt, but I'm wondering nonetheless. Also for those who care about park abbreviations: Canada's Wonderland is officially "CW" and Carowinds is officially "CA". Great Adventure is "GA" while Chicago's Great America is "GR". I don't know how Six Flags would handle parks like California's Great America — not that CGA will be operating long enough for that, but still — though I imagine they would still use the two letter acronym and use "CG".

The hill would probably be a larger hindrance to expansion than its proximity to The Beast. Building the addition in the infield does look like it would be better. I think if they did this it would need to have a visually appealing facade, especially since more of it would be seen from The Racer than with the current Action Theater which is partially obscured by trees. Even with the shifted format I think a boat ride would be best. A ride like Blazing Fury (25,000 sf) or Fire in the Hole (original: 23,000 sf, new: 34,000 sf) could also work if the park found a way to make it their own. I rather enjoyed the Cincinnati firefighter theme someone on here proposed for the Stunt Coaster, so maybe that could happen within a few years before/after this. I would hope the trees and foliage lost would be replaced elsewhere in Racer's infield as well. That area and the space between Blue Racer and Orion have felt very bare for a long time. Do y'all have any thoughts about the ride theme? Rivertown and Coney have different aspects of the "History of Cincinnati/the Ohio Valley" theme and I'd personally like to stick with that if possible. (Even if the areas have strayed from their original themes I'd still like to use them.)

How interesting that it's only 5:30pm and the form is now closed, despite saying that people would have until 7:59pm to submit.

I'm fine with it, there's more new paint and architectural changes than there were with the conversion to Boo Blasters so it's much better. Screenshot included in the spoiler because the video was taken from a moving car and is hard to see.

I agree with this, and would like to add that Kings Island was a pass heavy park for years before we "stopped" receiving interesting things. (The park is still getting good major investment, the stoppage/slowing mentioned is simply a sentiment many have shared on here and other social media sites.) I'd argue that Kings Island is the status quo that Carowinds and other parks are being told to aim for in terms of attendance and quality, while KI/SF management are firmly content with where the park is now. This is naturally leading to a feeling of stagnation since the focus has been shifted. If the park wants to think outside of the box for new events or update their current ones then they'll need to find a way to increase guest interaction without forcing them to pay $20 each time they visit the event. Unfortunately I think the company will try to use whatever they can to pay off debt, so events that change from year to year like the ones at Dollywood are out of the question for now. Most passholders will probably be fine with lower quality because KI is their home park and is a family tradition. Families feel the price of a pass is worth it, even if they only ever visit twice. If they take a year off it might be hard for the park to regain their trust, which is why it's important to at least keep the status quo. In other news, the Royal Fountain is being filled for the season. Does anyone know how they fill it? It looks like there are a few hoses being run into it, but I feel like that would be inefficient way to fill such a large basin. There was also someone working on a few fountain sprayer nozzles earlier today. I wonder if they'll reinstall the park sign after it's done being filled or wait a little longer.

I wonder what this could be. It it looks to be more than just a flatbed or a vehicle. It could be a structure because it hasn't moved all day and looks small enough to be placeable (like the Winterfest sheds). I don't think it's Snoopy's Doghouse since the shape looks off.

I think the 5 day ticket package would be the best option while they need to keep the total attendance numbers down due to the park's low capacity. Reservations for these tickets are fine IMO, but they're probably not entirely necessary. Doubling pass prices would not be a good move. Maybe if they add a 3-4 park pass in 2027 (the discrepancy being whether to include Volcano Bay or not) then it could work, though I'd keep the 2-park pass as-is since it'd still be relatively "affordable" for families and people who don't live in Florida. If the recent rumblings of a second Universal Orlando waterpark or a dedicated Orlando Universal Kids' Resort were to come true then I would say double the price. It's too early after Epic's opening to open a whole new park or a second City Walk, but Universal does what they want. Maybe they could use one of the big expansion plots to build a cheap-ish but better executed DinoLand-style expansion. That might help with a little bit of capacity until they can build proper expansions. Heck, they could put in a pair of B&M Family Inverts for a new Dueling Dragons for some cheap nostalgia points and capacity.

I wonder if any of the other Six Flags parks will hold first rider charity auctions this year. Kings Island isn't having one for PT:ON, and I haven't heard about one from Six Flags Over Texas (for Tormenta) or one from Six Flags New England (for Quantum Accelerator). Great Adventure probably won't host a charity event for Shoreline Pier either. It might not be worth it to the company at this time while they work to pay down their debt. That's part of why I think Kings Island held the Boo Blasters auction — not to pay for the new ride but to help reduce Six Flags overall debt one payment at a time. Hopefully they will continue to work with their respective charities in case it becomes worth it again.

It looks like today is landscaping day for Phantom Theater! I still can't tell if there are queue stanchions along that new concrete, but I can definitely see the dirt mover parked next to it. There's also a trailer parked out by the exit bridge.

I thought about a flying theater as well but worried about how well it would physically fit into the building. Do you know how tall those normally are?

Continuing to work out some ideas for Action Theater: In its current state (with the seats removed and some doorways punched through the center wall) the building could house a small dark ride similar to Boo Blasters on Boo Hill at Kings Dominion. Sally Dark Rides already has a number of options that fit into a 4,500-8,000 sq ft facility. Each theater measures to about 6,000 sq ft on Google Earth for a combined total of 12,000 sq ft. These smaller dark rides have about 14 scenes that are traversed by 10 four-passenger cars, depending on the size of the facility. The ride itself should be something that the whole family can do together, meaning no indoor coaster here. If Kings Island wanted something a little bigger and different than Phantom Theater: Opening Nightmare, there is space behind Action Theater for an addition that would increase its footprint to 30,000+ sq ft. The entire Enchanted Voyage building is approximately 30,000 sq ft and had an additional 2,500-ish sq ft for the outdoor section of the trough. I think an indoor boat ride would be the best option for this building addition scenario. If needed, the service road cut off by the addition could be re-routed to connect to the service road <100ft south of it. Unfortunately this project would probably require the removal of WindSeeker to give it a better entrance — similar to how the plaza existed before WindSeeker — but it could also work if further changes were made to the area. It could also be distinguished by not including interactive elements since those will be available in PT:ON. As for the ride's theme, I've been going between a few ideas. They could go for a Coney Island/history of Cincinnati concept (though I worry about how Six Flags would handle the Coney name) where you board a small riverboat and proceed through scenes celebrating either Coney Island or Cincinnati. Another option would be to use a theme found in classic amusement parks, such as a Journey to the Center of the Earth ride, a ride with a catchy tune, or a pirate ride. The pirate theme would 100% work better at Cedar Point with their history. Kings Island will have the haunted house ride covered with PT:ON. I'd prefer to stay away from using an IP in Coney Mall (renamed Old Coney in my head-canon) so no Justice League, Looney Tunes, or Peanuts themes. A carnival or circus theme also feels inappropriate (I also don't like the circus theme for Coney Maul during Haunt). The theme I've kept in the back of my head is a trolley-based theme tying back to the old trolley parks that were the precursors to modern amusement parks. Ohio has had a few of these throughout its history like Idora Park and Euclid Beach Park. Coney Island was more serviced by the riverboats than a trolley line, but the concept could work either way.

I think the fountain will start to be filled on Monday at the earliest, or maybe sometime the week after. They might be waiting for the weather to be consistently warmer and for the rest of the lights/nozzles to be repaired.

Over the past week I think I've seen multiple instances of crews going around International Street and replacing/fixing the various strands of lights on each building. It's either that or gutter clearing/replacement.

I would have thought most of the current projects happening at these parks were started by Six Flags. Six Flags might've been preparing some parks to be sold — including Valleyfair's Superior Shores conversion from Soak City — but new track for two wood coasters feels like something that would've already been in the works. Maybe they're trying to work out a few final details? It'd be trivial but I could see a situation where Six Flags wants to take their branded items (signage, Warner Bros. statues and such, and other items that SF feels they can reuse in their other parks) and Enchanted Parks thinks they'd be better off reusing and rebranding them. We've heard about how their CEO is hoping to strike a deal with Warner Bros. to keep their characters in the parks, so it's not entirely out of the question.

I think this addition is a really good fit for Great Adventure and will help to revitalize their Boardwalk area! Now all they'll need is to open a connector path between Plaza Del Carnival and the new Shoreline Pier — even if it doesn't have any attractions or shops along the route. The area is supposed to be open by late Spring and I'm excited to see how it turns out. The only downside to this whole thing is the name. I've talked about how much I hate the tagline trend before, and it's no better now. "Shoreline Pier" would've been a fine name compared to "Shoreline Pier at the Boardwalk". It might actually be that this is a subsection of the Boardwalk, but I would've preferred they just rename the whole area.

And because of those limited spots, someone didn't get to attend and was therefore very upset about it. I'm not shocked that Kings Island/Six Flags have increased the price of private events and ERT experiences like that. It's not good for their relationships with coaster enthusiast groups and such, but if they still have all of the other private events then I don't think they will think much about lowering the price.

Double post for my fellow webcam watchers: It looks like the ATLA/waves scrim wraps on Surf Dog have been removed. I'd love to see new scrims go up to make the ride look better. There's also a small crane between Franklin's Flyers and Beagle Scout Acres (it looks like the same crane that was next to Monster a few days ago). If there used to be a tree/bush to the left of the PS restrooms like I thought there was, it's gone now. I haven't seen much movement by Phantom Theater this week so I think they're done painting. There look to be little posts for a fence near the new concrete pad but I can't tell for certain. All of the Winterfest sheds were removed from International Street on Monday. I think the Scrooge's Sausage Haus sign is still up on Grain & Grill. The Royal Fountain looks like it's being prepped for filling. The main park sign has not yet been put back up. WindSeeker tested earlier today with the gondola sitting at the top of the tower for about 10 minutes. Zephyr's central steel tower has been reinstalled, though the rest of the ride must still be backstage. Monster's fence remains in place and will probably continue to stand until the park knows for certain that it'll be up and running. The Kings Island park map is still the 2025 version. I don't expect to see the 2026 map released until either April 10th or Opening Day. The events calendar hasn't seen any more surprise changes since yesterday's Star-Spangled Night change. No live entertainment offerings are listed, but I think it's been confirmed that HiFi Honey will be performing in the park for a few days again this season.

Do you think having a second FL Reserve scanner at the entrance to the Fast Lane queue would have helped avoid people coming in before their timer expired?

Fixing the lights would help with the ride's atmosphere a lot! I hope those come back. Does anyone know if they use a crane to assemble the arms and cars onto the rotor or if it's more of a manpower job?