DJSkyFoxx

Going along with this train of thought, you already know there will be a TON of people who apparently didn't know that the mazes cost extra this year and will be complaining/starting fights/etc. I wish I had a more favorable outlook, but with what I have seen this past season with past events and with this unceremoniously announced new upcharge system for Haunt, you already know this is just going to cause more spiraling confusion among those who already don't understand the rhyme or reason why the Gold pass they've purchased for years always included these activities and now they don't. Even if the "terms are subject to change", this is not language that most folks read/pay attention to and really, until recent years, hasn't been used to the max so frequently.

I mean, IMO, Boo Blasters was just a generic continuation of SCATHC...so if you look at it that way, 22 years

Kinda leads one to wonder if this is leading up to the "family thrill attraction" or if this is something entirely seperate. Albeit this being a really old theme for this ride-effectively being a haunted theme since 2003-it will be interesting to see what they plan to do with it. Whatever they do, I hope they can keep some interactive aspects to it as well as. This is really the first truly transparent bit of movement announced recently, so this is fun.

Peep this Reddit post

I feel like I have been receiving a lot more surveys this season than previous ones. I fill them out every time, but I really don't think they will make any real difference as it feels more like damage control vs. really hearing what people are saying. Especially those of us who have been long time guests/passholders. I guess we will see. I hope that whatever was planned for next year still happens since the park still feels like it could use some more stuff to round it off a bit. I know most of us here really want to see a new coaster-and I don't mean a family coaster ( no shade to SSBR-that really is a surprisingly fun little addition ) but you all know what I mean. Something to really replace the loss of Vortex that's for the thrill seekers. But as far as whatever family thrill attraction was planned, its a bit concerning that there hasn't been any obvious movement or any fun hints given at all by this point. I honestly thought when the passes went on sale that there would also be some kind of an announcement to go along with it to maybe boost even more interest and excitement like old times. But alas-crickets. I will say that I am quite fatigued saying stuff in the same vein of "time will tell." or "we will see". Bleh.

It will be interesting to see the official price of a Gold Pass with the added APP built in for the promotion. It's a mixed bag really. While it's great for the customer to be able to purchase an insanely good deal on a season pass, like it has already be said so many times, it's a bad sign for the current state of affairs. Not to mention all of these extra passes just means even longer lines and diluted quality in the parks themselves. I'd be lying if I said I didn't plan on taking advantage of the pass sale. I live relatively close to the park and having Cedar Point up north, it's pretty silly to pass up something that I know I will use. But I also realize on the other hand that I will then be bearing witness to more dissolving of quality. It's tough to both want to take advantage of a great deal but also knowing that great deal comes at a cost far greater than the pass itself.

THIS ALL DAY. It also absolutely wrecks my nerves when people always have those mega huge SUV style strollers/wagons that take up SO much walking path space. Like why on earth do you need such a huge device to tote ONE small human around? They're absolutely obnoxious. And the words "stroller" and "haunt" simply are not a good pairing. Take your littles to the family-friendly event during the day. Take them to the local pumpkin patch or the zoo. But please, for the love of whatever you believe in or don't believe in....DON'T take your itty bitty/small humans to an event that is meant for a more mature audience. It's such a disservice because the scare actors feel bad for actually being scary when there are small kids around and for the mature folks who are there to get scared and actually experience the event as it was intended, this just makes for a watered down event because people can't leave their kids at home for a night. Not every single event/place has to be inclusive of babies/toddlers/minors. There are already so few third spaces for 18+/21+ crowds that honestly it just gets to be a drag. And for the record, I am not trying to come off as a kid hater. I just want there to be at least one event other than Pride Night that allows for a more mature audience to enjoy the park as intended vs staff trying to soften things up because they fear upsetting kids and their parents for which they shouldn't be there in the first place.

That's kind of the point though. If you are easily traumatized then simply don't attend Haunt and ruin it for others? That's why there's the likes of Trick & Treats during the day time when there are no Haunts or scare actors running about. Not to mention there are plenty of other area attractions that would appeal to families and those who wish not to get scared. And to add to the part with the money going into the park, they are already up-charging enough things and making that dollar. Fear Fest during the Paramount days didn't have the no-boo nonsense people were just fine. I have fond memories of the park really having a more sinister "turn up the scares" type feel back then and man do I miss that.

The more high tech/moving parts something has, the more likely said thing is going to have downtime/issues. These aren't our parents/grandparents roller coasters. Much like cars or anything else in today's world, the more complex it is, the more points of failures/issues there can be. This is just a thing we have to accept. People want the latest, most thrilling and high tech rides...and that can come with a bit of sacrifice in knowing that it might have some gremlins in the systems. It's probably why the industry as a whole has loved B&M so much because their coasters, regardless of the type ( hyper, giga, flying, invert, stand-up etc ) all have about the same formula going for them without much variance in their designs and not as much tech as some other manufacturers/models. They are arguably a bit more low-tech and not as risk taking as say Intamin or even Vekoma. Which is why rides made by both of those manufacturers can be some of the most thrilling/exciting out there because they tend to push the limits and explore new ways of freshening up the industry. Especially since Vekoma has grown up and learned from their past selves and have been making some of the best the market has seen in awhile in recent years. And side note, no shade to B&M. I do love their coasters and appreciate their work-horse reliability. But the industry is over-saturated with them at this point and its nice seeing other players get in the game and show off what they can do.

Here are mine.... Diamondback: Hammerhead stall in the back row The Beast: After the first brake run, the section of track where the train is fully immersed into the woods right before the second lift hill Orion: First drop, front row Banshee: Zero G roll Racer: Second air-time hill Bat: Odd...but the brake run while seated in the front row. Car swings out hard and its always amusing hearing others freak out Adventure Express: My riding days are over with this one...but the ending... Mystic Timbers: The series of hills after the tunnel, row 12...wow Flight of Fear: The launch Backlot: Tunnel Invertigo: Front row, going backwards first through the elements and then facing the ground on the return trip Woodstock Express: No defining element Woodstock Air Rail: No defining element Great Pumpkin: Never rode Snoopy's Soap Box Racers: Spike, front row Honorable Mentions Firehawk: Definitely the loop. Miss the feeling this gave and also the way it cracked my back Vortex: Corkscrews! Loved the hangtime these gave. Son of Beast: Without a shadow of a doubt, the first drop. It cannot really be put into words how intimidating it was going up that high on a structure made entirely of wood. That first drop came in with a menacing punch that took your breath away

The scare actors will all be carrying Square card readers so you'll have to pay them after they scare you

I know this is absolute sarcasm but man....I really wish that was something that was cooking up in the background.

Even though whatever 2026 attraction is absolutely not going anywhere the SoB station, I still often wonder why exactly the park chose to keep it. I can't see it being one of those things where they chose to do so because "man this old station would make a great Haunt!". I also can't imagine it would have been much more expensive to tear it down along with the rest of the structure at the time of its demise. I often wonder if they kept it because somewhere in the archives there were plans to do something big with it. I will say that my hope isn't entirely lost on the possibility of it eventually being full of life again. Why? Because if BGW can reuse the old Drachen Fire station for a new coaster 27 years later, its not impossible for something else to eventually occupy SoB's station once again either. Granted, depending on which direction this merger really goes, it could be awhile longer. Or never. But I will remain optimistic that maybe some day some coaster train will roar through that station once again.

I really don't know why anyone is surprised. Reiterating the fact that this is a brand new ride, it's gonna have its growing/breaking in pains. And this makes what, only the second operating installment of this kind of coaster in the world? I know there will be a third coming soon (Circuit Breaker), so its not like this is common-place coaster. But I wouldn't say that this is a highly unreliable ride. Like others have said, social media is highlighting the fault points so it appears far more drastic than what it really is. This new-age Vekoma is far more reliable than old Vekoma. I don't think that can be debated.

It's also possible that with the theme of later openings for new attractions and what feels like procrastination from the outsider looking in, that we can't entirely rule out anything going into TRTR/Crypt's building either. I doubt thats the space they are going for, but I really wouldn't be mad if that was the chosen site for a new ride. Another indoor attraction would be appreciated by the masses.

I wouldn't be surprised if these attractions and any other see more foot traffic this year with the proposed up-charge model at the parks. I wouldn't be mad at it though. These places tend to have more freedom to set up the way they want to and turn it up to 10 if they so desire. Plus, there won't be any no-boo goofiness to interrupt the whole point of going in the first place.

I agree with you to an extent. But I think what most folks are trying to say is that the quality dip felt more like a quality nose dive this season. Yes, there have been cuts and things haven't been exactly stellar or perfect for awhile, but that overall sense of lacking has been really noticeable this season with far more cuts and jabs being made chain-wide and felt right here within KI. We might all be looking a bit more harshly and consciously, sure, but when you hear from folks who haven't been to the park in a number of years stating that they've noticed the lack of quality they once remembered, that's a bit more telling from eyes that don't see the park as frequently as some of us. It's all valid no matter how you slice it. The changes are just felt more drastically this season. I will note that from my experience with this past 4th of July festivities at the park ( see it under the trip report section if you haven't already )-I will reiterate that the overall feel of the park felt like what it must have to GL loyalists when SF took over their park. What once felt like a clean, manicured and cared for place gave way to an absolute dumpster fire of humans and the anything goes type atmosphere. And don't even get me started on the fact that I have seen guests with literal giant swastikas tattooed on their backs in the water park. That never would have been allowed in previous years, but here we are in 2025 allowing this garbage to participate in a public space where all walks of life gather to feel safe and have fun. Just sad times.

It really does make one wonder what else are they going to take away? How much more are they going to chop up just to save a few dollars? Taking things away won't drive money into their pockets. It will just continue to hurt loyal pass/ticket holders and make them lose faith in the company as a whole. Imagine purchasing your season pass last year expecting to be able to attend the fall activities of your home park and beyond only to find out one of two things. Either your home park has completely dumped the event all together and will be closed after Labor Day weekend OR your home park and beyond is up-charging to experience the Haunt attractions. This is shaping up to be a very bad model. And this is why I really despise mega chains/corporations. Paying full price for something we've come to expect, regardless of the "subject to change" jargon, is really telling of how they feel about their customers. I really won't be surprised if folks try to file some kind of suit against Cedar Flags over all of this. I really wouldn't be sure how well that would go or if there would even be any movement whatsoever, but never say never. I love the parks. I really do. And having been a pass holder for so many years like many of you here, it's painful to see headlines that literally seem to be one negative blow after the other instead of positive things. We aren't asking for anything too major. Just don't screw over the loyal paying customers by continuing to take away or devalue the experience any further.

If the mazes themselves receive upgrades and they actually pour in the effort, I wouldn't mind seeing a bit shorter lines to actually be able to do the mazes for a change. But like some of you have said, this move may end up driving up the ride lines even more. And I definitely do not envy guest service folks roles with all these changes. I know people are going to be absolutely livid when the see upcharges for Haunt. The reality we are currently in is this: these places are no longer an easy thing to just walk in and enjoy anymore. The parks are 100% pay to play if you truly want to have a good time, and this right here is yet another example of that. Gone are the days of "just' buying a pass and tolerating long lines here and there. There is quite literally an upcharge for everything. Everything will cost you. I actually feel the most sorry for people who buy single day tickets and realize that ticket is literally only good to get you in and anything beyond that its "cha-ching cha ching cha ching!"

Take this for whatever it's worth but it appears it could be very likely we will see more of this kind of deal across the chain if this is any kind of indication.

This is one of those things that continues to annoy regular pass holders and any new pass holders. The redundancy, double-speak, clear as mud language they use to explain each bullet point in the FAQ section is an entire mess. It really shouldn't be this confusing considering they have changed the pass structure so much over the last few years. When you read everything over it's like multiple people had their hand in writing out the information and didn't bother to cross reference with one another. The left hand doesn't seem to know what the right hand is doing. It all tracks as to why you hear different associates stating different things at different times on different days. There is no real clear language or consistency and that then becomes a major point of frustration for the guests. There really needs to be some serious grip on what the company wants, what their end goal is and a much more cut and dry clear language that doesn't beg the guest to ask so many questions or leave their staff also unable to fully grasp what they are saying/doing. Also. Completely random, but regarding dropping brownie points in the guest experience, I got bored one day recently and looked at Google reviews. Now granted. It's Google reviews. I'm clear that a lot of the complaints can often be just regular ignorance often portrayed by the GP who didn't get their way because they were line cutting and got kicked out. But it was interesting to see from last year that both KI and CP held a 4.6 star rating on there. KI has retained their 4.6 while CP has dropped down to 4.5. I realize this isn't a huge dip. But it is sad to see any dip at all seeing how many total reviews there are for each park. It's just mildly telling that even though we have been seeing so many cuts at KI this season that they must still be doing just a hair better than big brother up north is. Because as it is noted, the GP is what brings the business, not us. We are but a mere drop in the bucket as enthusiasts in a sea of GP. Just sad to see, even if it is just Google reviews/one .1 point lower than last year.

Definitely interested to see if this promotion will trickle down to any of the other parks as they roll out their 2026 passes. And still no real hints as to what 2026 is going to supposedly bring as far as a new ride goes for KI. I really miss the days of the buzz and the hype around a new attraction. I will also say that I wonder if when they do announce said family thrill attraction if that would be a tie in for this kind of promotion as well? So many questions and so few answers. I think next month will be an interesting indicator as to what the rest of the parks have in store.

The new family thrill attraction will be some Snicker themed dark ride. Imagine the ride cars

I still have my 20% off games coupon to use so I may use that for this game and try my luck at it some time soon. Thankful to all the folks at the park doing their best to keep things running as best they can.

I really like the idea of turning SC into a winter themed park. Call it "Snow City" to play on the Soak City name.