I’ve always thought KI was right up there with Cedar Point. Quality is high, it’s clean, amazing operations, and great rides. Never had a bad visit to KI. I know I’ve said this before, but KI really feels like a park you can take your time with and just enjoy, while Cedar Point is almost overwhelming it’s so massive. Both fantastic parks though!

Thanks for the shout out to the Eiffel Tower crew! I work at the Eiffel Tower and thank you for your compliments towards us associates.

I'll admit I used to think people overhyped Kings Island, but with how smoothly the park operates, there's obviously a sense of pride for this park. Dare I say, this is the type of amusement park that others should strive to be like.

Kings Island has always been one of my home parks as I live in between KI and Cedar Point. I have always appreciated the difference between the both of them but Cedar Point has always been the more thrill oriented park. Something switched for me this year though. I only had one visit to Cedar Point and a few to Kings Island. I can't quite put my finger on it, but Kings Island has really, really done something to me this year. I have never had such a level of appreciation for that place as I do now. In complete honestly, I went through a couple months this year where I absolutely hated all parks and coasters. It was a super strange time and I despised the idea of visiting Kings Island or any park again. Through some rather tough steps, I returned to KI with a brand new look on the industry and that park in particular. I think it is going to be very sad leaving the park for the last time this season, tomorrow evening. However, I will look back at all the cool moments I had at the park this year while looking forward to a (hopefully) better season next year.

*When you've been to Chris' new favorite park, and haven't been to cedar point*

As soon as he said Cedar Point would be dethroned as his 1st favorite park, I KNEW it would be Kings Island. They have some great coasters (Diamondback, Orion, Mystic Timbers, and Banshee)

I thought you were gonna day Dollywood but I grinned so hard when you said "welcome to kings island"

This video influenced me to make a trip to Kings Island in 2021. My visit was two days ago, and it was absolutely fantastic. Beautiful park, fantastic coasters, and amazing operations. Thanks for the recommendation!

I’ve never been to CP but I visited Kings Island in September and was blown away. I had high expectations but man did it surpass every single one. We even saw park execs and told them how great the ops were, how friendly the staff was and how excellent the park was as a whole. Easily best coaster day(s) I’ve ever had.

so happy to see my old home park get the respect it deserves. Another leg up I think it has over Cedar Point is its walkthrough experience. Cedar Point's limited space and stacked lineup makes it feel dangerously close to a concrete coaster farm (not nearly as bad as Magic Mountain, but still). Kings Island has a lot of beautiful garden work and each attraction has room to breathe. It's really excellent that a park this full can still leave The Bat and The Beast totally surrounded by trees.

5:10 hey that’s me putting down restraints! Lol

He doesn’t hate sky rush and CP isn’t his favorite park anymore?? What did 2020 do to Chris?

As a former employee, under the Paramount years, I enjoy seeing what others think about my home park! With the 300+ acres they have left to develop, it's going to be fun watching what they put in next.

This is my home park, and it's easy to take for granted. We have such a stacked coaster lineup. I think I just get a better experience from cedar point because it's different than normal for me.

You hit the nail on the head. I have been to Cedar Point more times than I can count since I am originally from Northeast Ohio. I now live in Columbus. I went to Kings Island for the first time in 2019 and was impressed by how short it took to ride everything (rode almost every major coaster in 4-5 hours). I skipped last year for obvious reasons. I had this past week off and decided to do both parks in back to back days. After going to both, Kings Island definitely gave me the better overall experience. It is just a park you can sit back and enjoy. Kings Island was way more crowded than my last visit and I think the longest I had to wait for a coaster was 45 minutes (The Beast; but there were some mechanical issues where they were only loading every other train). Every other major coaster (Orion, Mystic Timbers, Banshee, Diamondback) were 20 minutes or less! I cannot say that about Cedar Point who had a smaller than usual July crowd. I even bought a Fast Lane Plus because I knew there would still be long lines for Milly, Maverick, and Steel Vengeance. The average Cedar Point Fast Lane line was about the same and/or longer for their top three than every ride at Kings Island. Cedar Point is worth cost of admission alone just for the setting. However, the operations were absolute trash. I remember getting on Millenium Force and waiting 5-10 minutes for a dispatch, while the other two trains sat behind us in the loading station and the block zone. The ride ops cared more about "entertaining" people than dispatching the ride. I remember one of the ops singing "if you are happy and you know it clap your hands" and another passenger yelled "ok we are all ready to go now" and just like that they sent the train. A lot of CP employees are from out of state and it's just a summer job to them. They had to double their wages just to field a staff this year. Kings Island appeared to have a lot of locals working who cared more about the experience than collecting a paycheck.

Another thing to add would be Kings Islands history in pop culture. Both a Brady Bunch and Partridge Family episode were filmed at the park. I know that was decades ago but it left a lasting legacy. I remember being young and on the way to Kings Island my dad telling about the episodes and then later seeing the Brady Bunch one. It was something that helped put Kings Island on the map at the time and made parents feel a sense of pride that they could take their children to a park with such prominence. Great video as always!

I totally get it. Even in terms of their coaster collection, they have the better hyper, the better invert, the better giga (plenty of room for debate, but Orion wins it in my book), and the woodies are no contest. And that's all on top of the stuff you mentioned in the video. I'm not sure if I would call it better than CP, per se, but I do think they are solid companion parks that both need to be experienced, and it's awesome that they're as close together as they are. I think CP will always have a place in my heart as the ultimate coaster Mecca, but apart from being one of my home parks, I feel like KI really does make you feel at home. I've been going for ten years now and still don't get bored of it.

If you could put cedar point’s lineup and setting with Kings Island’s operations and attendance and Holiday World’s cleanliness and water rides, you have the perfect park.

I don't know what I was expecting you to say, but my mouth literally dropped when you said "Ladies and gentleman, welcome to Kings Island". I'm a huge CP fan, but as someone who grew up going to KI, I always just really love hearing people show that park some love. Also, it's been kind of a rough season as a KI fan with everyone crapping all over the new ride. This video was a pleasant surprise, definitely brought a smile to my face.

Probably my favorite thing about Kings Island is how easy it is to bounce back and forth from area and area. You really have to budget your time at Cedar Point between the front and back of the park. My favorite Cedar Fair removal/ addition would be the asphalt (blacktop) for pavers and concrete. Although I have very fond memories of a lot of sweltering hot days on that old Kings Island blacktop!

That's what makes them such a perfect one-two punch! They're both absolutely wonderful parks, and one will hype you up for the other, no matter which order you visit them in. Oh yeah, and KI has by far the best ride ops I've ever seen. They were straight up BOOKING it constantly!

I love that you have had such a great experience there. I worked ride ops there in the summer of 2012. To this day it was my favorite job. The teams all have such great pride in their job and I loved to do my best to make all the guests day the best day ever! It's great to hear an enthusiast recognize their efforts.

I was blown away by my trip to Kings Island in July. They just get every aspect of running a park right. It makes me scratch my head when I see how poorly some of the other Cedar Fair parks are run.

One of the things that solidified Kings Island as my favorite was when I was in line for The Bat and the dispatcher not only said “Please enjoy your ride on Flight Deck” and “Please enjoy your ride on Top Gun.” Stuff like that just puts a smile on your face

I first started going to Kings Island back in 1972. It's always been a great park, especially under the original owners, Taft Broadcasting. Even before all the newer coasters were added, great theming, great food and great employees has always been a signature of Kings Island.

My home park for 14 years, and personally it’s my favorite too. It not only has quality but it’s got quantity too. And on top of that you have such a wide selection and there isn’t even a dud in the list of Major Coasters, you have airtime machines, woodies, family coasters, launch coasters, inverting machines, and a phenomenal kids area, plus it has some charm to it so overall, it’s my *personal* favorite park!

When you said Kings Island, I instantly got pumped. I've only been to this park once and it was this season. And I loved everything there.

Great video! I've been to Kings Island 9 times as it's 2 and a half hours from me and I loved every visit. Everyone you see there always seems happy to be there. I like Cedar Point too but I've only been there once and it's 5 hours from me. I always thought the best of KI. I think it's the third most attended seasonal amusement park in North America after Canada's Wonderland and CP. I love your coaster suggestions.

This has been my experience as well going there three times a year for last 3 years and cedar point at least ten times per year in the same stretch. Pride above all is the determining factor. The chief chef at KI says it best in one of their promo videos they want to be known as having the best whenever you think of something whether it’s food flowers or coasters.

As someone who works in Admissions and Guest Services at Kings Island this was awesome to hear! Glad to see even those outside the area can truly appreciate what a great park Kings Island is!

Thanks for showing the world what a great home park we have!

Chris, you nailed it! Out of all of the parks visited this year (21 so far!), hands down, KI has been light years ahead of everyone else. Operations, staff, food service, and park appearance have been outstanding, especially with all of the COVID challenges. I'm proud to call it my home park!

Good day for us KI fanboys and people who have this as our home park.

Operating rides at Kings Island is honestly just as fun as riding them. The energy flowing through the station between associates is always high and just so exciting and fun to operate. Thats probably why they’re such good ops

Thanks for listing all the things that have always made K I my favorite park since my first time there in 1977. I have never had a disappointing trip there (in heat, rain and snow). The employees are the best I have found at any park. I am a foodie and always buy the all day dining pass, the food selection is incredible and top notch for an amusement park. I do eat every every 90 minutes. I am now 61 years old and can't stand in line for very long so I always get the Fast Lane Plus and their handling of the Fast Lane is superb. I spent 4 days there in June of 2019 and got a total of over 200 rides. The park is very clean and well maintained. I do like Cedar Point and have been there numerous times over the years. They don't handle Fast Lane as well as K I. For example, we got put at the bottom of the ramp to the station of Top Thrill Dragster and it still was a 30 minute wait compared to the 45 minute wait posted on the sign out front. I have yet to ride Steel Vengeance as it was down both days I was there in 2018 and broke down after waiting inline 1 1/2 hours in 2019. Hopefully I will get to ride it someday. Thanks for all your amazing Coaster Videos! They've helped keep me sane during this CoVid19 thing! Stay safe and happy coasting.

When you work at KI and it's your home park. "Cheers Mate"!

I just always find it strange but cool how Orion has a very fast lift compared to other B&Ms and is still a super quiet lift. But again, it does have a different anti rollback system.

I’ve been to Cedar Point dozens of times throughout my life, and it is one of the best places on earth. But since King’s Island became my home park, I have been consistently amazed by how good an experience it always delivers. The ride collection is always satisfying, the employees are outstanding, the food is great, and the entire atmosphere is just relaxing. At Cedar Point we have to prioritize the rides we want to hit and meticulously plan out our day and hope for the best, even in the middle of the week. Not so at KI. I don’t know how they do it, because I’m sure their attendance is among the highest for Cedar Fair, but the place never feels like a madhouse. When we leave the sign over the exit asks, “Wasn’t that amazing?” Yes. Yes it was.

YESSS! I’m glad somebody else finally said it! The employees are incredible! I was lapping Orion (Fastlane FTW), and I talked so much to the ride ops that we ended up having full conversations in between rides. It got to the point that he even mentioned that one of his siblings goes to the college just down the street from mine here in Springfield, Missouri!

I still prefer Cedar Point, but as you say, it's just because of the coasters. Kings island literally does everything else better. And I haven't been to as many parks as other people, but I've been to a couple dozen around the country, and King's Island Ride Ops are an order of magnitude better than any other park I've ever seen.

You said quality and quantity, I was thinking Hershey park or Silver dollar city maybe

I went last Saturday, and it was a blast! Everything was open, even Racer. And you’re right about the employees! One of my friends works on Adventure Express and is also a coaster enthusiast. Never had a bad day at Kings Island, it’s great.

I passed up Kings Island the last time I was in Columbus in 2018 and basically drove past it to Cedar Point, my once favorite park. I’d never been to KI but been to CP at least 5 times when I lived in New York. It was well worth the 8 hr drive. Well...it wasn’t worth the almost 3 hr drive from Columbus. Three of my favorite big coasters were closed, and the lines for other rides were massive due to minimal trains operating. One ride was stuck after 2 hrs waiting on line. All that plus the heat almost turned me off to amusement parks, on a whole. This season we went to Six Flags Great Adventure, since we live 30 mins away. I bought season passes. Twice we went and almost every rollercoaster was shut down. We got stuck on one. Thanks to this video I’m willing to finally give KI a try.

Kings island has been my home park since i was a child. i love KI! cedar point is awesome too but i only live 30 minutes from kings island.

King's Island is AMAZING!

I had a ton of cool conversations with employees at King’s Island this year. Great video!

Spot on Chris! My family has visited both parks multiple times in the past month and the atmosphere and overall park experience at Kings Island is just better.

“If you want a break from the coasters” Pffft imagine lol😂

Ok but if I've never been to Ohio which park should I go to?

Thanks Chris, made my first trip there today because of this video and loved it!

I absolutely love this video. Kings Island is my family’s home park. Last year we upgraded to platinum passes because we love cedar point and we’re planning trips to other cedar fair parks until COVID-19 hit. My son and I always loved cedar point because of the thrill rides but kings island has been doing fantastic with there recently add coasters. I love your idea on the copperhead strike and RMC for the future it’s like you were reading our minds. 🤞 Just a great video over all and appreciate the love for are home park.

When Chris’ favorite park is your home park 😁😁😁😁😁

At this rate Chris be like 2021: SLC new favorite and elite v h gardens new favorite park Great video like always and I could see why it would be a favorite

Went to cedar point last week (10/8/22-10/10/21) staff was amazing, and after closing at like 12:30 we had staff members just randomly walk up and help me and my gf take photos in front of the ride entrances. Absolutely amazing visit. Staff was at their best!

The operations have been outstanding all season! Racer was down for some retracking when you were there, Chris. Happy to have it as a home park!

Haven’t seen the video yet, but that intro was fantastic and surprising! Having Ki as my home park I don’t get that “wow” factor that most people do, but I still adore it and am super lucky to have it as my home park

Did anyone else expect SDC?

Video idea: top ten best hang time moments

Kings Island is really a wonderful park. I took my twins to Kings Island and Holiday World when they were 3 years old and they loved it. I was able to leave them with my friend in the kiddie area for long enough to get a few coasters in too. They were little daredevils and loved the kiddie coasters at KI. Truly a wonderful family park.

I work here, and I'm so glad to hear that you had a great time!

Kings island is my home park, I’ve been to a few others including cedar point, nothing beats the quality and cleanliness of Kings island

I definitely see what your after here. Cedar Point is special because it has so many incredible attractions, but Kings Island just felt like a home park when I went there in 2019. Friendly staff, pretty themeing, great coasters, and amazing operations. After some weird experiences and nearly stolen items at CP, I definitely feel the two are pretty close. Moral of the story: if you live in Ohio, you're darn lucky.

Shoutout to the crew on the Beast and Orion. Excellent work this Sunday

Omg seeing the old footage from how kings islands entrance looked in 2002 really brings me back lol

Cedar Point: Quantity over quality Kings Island: Quantity and quality

half the comments: "I thought it would be SDC!!!" me: I looked at the thumbnail and it's clearly ki from that lmao

The employees are so nice there!! It puts such a good impression on the park! I always love when I am able to talk to a good employee in line!

Loving the content Chris! Keep up the great work 😀

2:04 Almost every European park: "Am i a joke to you?"

Whenever someone asks what my favorite park is, I say, Cedar Point, but I'm glad Kings Island is my home park because it's just so much friendlier and easier to visit on a regular basis while still having great rides.

Loved your video and I think all the points you made about Kings Island are well taken, I personally haven't been to Cedar Point or Kings Island but both are on my list to visit, I definitely think that Kings Island should build an RMC similar to Steel Vengeance maybe even taller and I would love to see them get a remodeled entrance (which I don't understand why they didn't do that when they added Orion) but maybe in the future they will consider remodeling the entrance, I'm also interested to see what replaces Vortex great video once again!!!

We are going to both of these parks this summer and cannot wait to experience all of the coasters!!!

Oh my I wasn’t expecting this

Cedar point has always reminded me of magic mountain. Big, bold and a lot of good coasters but there's not a whole lot beyond that. Kings island has always been like great adventure for me. Quality over quantity and a lot of other really solid things about the park.

I CALLED IT!!!! I'm glad that Kings Idland is now your favorite park, it's my home park so I'm really glad that someone like you who has been to a bunch of park choose my home park as your favorite Sincerely ~Kings Island Fanboy

I’m from cincinnati, just south of mason, and I can’t tell you how happy I was to hear you give skyline a shoutout!! I have a kings island gold pass and go at least a few times a week. It is such a quality park and I know that I am biased because I live down the street and it’s my home park, but everyone that I have taken there has had a great experience. There are some nights where I’ll just walk in an hour before close and go on banshee, mystic timbers, diamondback, or Orion 3 or 4 times with no line and leave 😂 not to mention the food slaps, even though it’s so expensive, but if you have a gold pass you get a 10 or 15 percent discount I think. Overall it’s definitely much better now than it was when I was a kid going with my family in the early 2000s.

**Chris uploads video while being held at gunpoint by a KI fanboy**

Woah, this is going to be interesting. Before watching: let me guess, SDC? Edit: Nevermind haha

I’m glad you like Kings Island a lot Chris, and I’m glad to have Kings Island as my home park.

I love both these parks! And the best part is they’re close enough to go to both!

WAIT WHAT? What a twist 😂

A new RMC with “some kind of Son of Beast theme”? Nephew of Beast?

We will say we just had an amazing experience a little over a week ago at KI! It was a chilly day but all of coasters were open and the ops were great!

Man I’m so grateful to have KI as my home park. I live ten minutes away and I’ve been going there all my life. Never had a bad day there.

Is it Kennywood because they have Lil Phantom?

2:04 uh I do!

Great video as always. I need to tour the US parks at some point in my life. I only ever been to three. Canada's Wonderland (local), Universal Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa (both of these I was a kid).

My home park is Cedar Point, but my favorite amusement park is Kings Island. just came back from a two-day trip there: Orion was great, and my row requests were satisfied! Can't get enough of it.

Just did a KI/CP trip in August, 100% agree literally my favorite park ever the staff was awesome, the coasters are top tier, the park is gorgeous, and the guests are all having a good time. Certainly the best I've been to.

He’s out and proud! It’s a minority identity, but I have known some people who passionately prefer your new favorite (no spoiler) over CP. Good for you for bucking the trend!

This is amazing, I work there within the Admissions department I appreciate all the amazing compliments to the park!

I have been to Kings Island ever since I was a kid and seeing Vortex gone just changes the way I see that area of the park.

That kid who was crying bc he was to small to go on Orion 😂😂

IMPOSIBL... oh wait this is my 1st bucket list park to visit. WEEEEEEEL

great video! Can't wait to go this summer

After my trips this year I agree! Kings Island is just so much more pleasant to visit

Chris is so desperate for a home park, he moved to Oklahoma to find one! (This is a joke btw)

CP fanboys: “That’s not true! That’s impossible!”

As someone who worked food service at KI for a short time, I can confirm there is a restaurant and a *massive* kitchen up there that actually supplies a lot of food to other restaurants in the park. So it would be pretty difficult to renovate…

Amen! Made my first KI trip this past weekend and it blew me away! Definitely the best park operating during the 2020 season. Diamondback is my new #1 B&M Hyper. Orion was amazing in the back! Mystic is a top 10 woodie and Banshee was waaay better than expected. One of the best top 4 lineups ever.