Kings Island rebrands water park as Soak City

Hmmm. They certainly did a good job of making this seem like a huge new investment. With the new entrance, it makes me wonder if they're not laying the groundwork for someday splitting the waterpark off as a separate admission.

So I'm guessing my Platinum Pass will get me into both parks... fine. But the Cincy locals who have been buying Gold Passes will now have to upgrade to Platinum Passes. $$$

Good job, Kings Island! Your water park is very busy a lot of the times. Another wave pool is very welcoming. I think you need a lot more slides to help with the lines, but this is a good start!

I really find the invitation to compare this water park with the other water parks in the area pretty interesting. The Beach water park is just across the highway from KI, and it seems like Kings island has been after their business for a very long time. If people just want to go to a waterpark, and not walk a few miles to get to it, hey usually choose The Beach. with this separate entrance, they are beginning to fix that issue.

I would love to see the new Soak City become a separate park from KI. Maybe they could install a nice walkway from one entrance gate to the other, and sell a two-park ticket.

About the name, Soak City is just as good as a name as Boomerang bay. The only problem that I have with it is that their is already a Soak City a few hour north, but maybe chain wide branding is the point.

At least they didn't call it Hurricane Hannah's.

Now THATS a great capital upgrade. Wave Pools never go extinct.

Yeah, branding this thier game on this. There are three "Knott's Soak Cities" in southern California.

James, the website says

• New walkway, fencing, trees and grass in the plaza area
• New façade welcomes you to the 33-acre water park
• Plenty of parking spaces available
• Use your 2012 Gold Season Pass for early entry every public operating day
• General admission tickets available to purchase here

...So the Gold pass will be good for Soak City. The water park gate is just a second gate to the entire Kings Island park right now. It is just for people who come just to visit the water park.

I don't think another walkway is needed. Couldn't they just as easily put a gate at the location where the parks connect now.

You are right LK. Now I wonder if this is a give away for 2012 and they will pull the plug on it in 2013. Wait and see, I guess.

LostKause said:
with this separate entrance, they are beginning to fix that issue.

There already was a separate entrance.

Yeah but I noticed CF added 20 dollar premium parking to get near it. LOL

The separate entrance (I think) was for passholders only, as a perk. Has anyone else noticed that the new walkway in the back side of Soak City creates a "loop" now, or are my eyes playing tricks on me?

Normal ticket holders could enter through that gate as well, as I saw several the one day that I have used it, though I don't remember if they really had a place where one could buy/pick up their tickets at the gate.

Hmmm...on the comparison page, I am guessing that "Option B" is in Mason, and "Option C" is in California.

The new wave pool sounds like a great idea. I just hope they make it deep enough to actually swim in. Just deep enough for the average adult to tread water without kicking the bottom would be nice...

The action river sounds like a great idea. As long as they're re-habbing the river, how about jettisoning both the "wait here...go around once...get out here" model and the "you must have a tube" rule? I go to a waterpark to get wet, and it's hard to do that if you're laying on top of a tube, and unpleasant if you're trying to hold on to one...

We can all see where they're heading with this, and I wonder what kind of reaction Darien Lake got this year. I worry a bit because, I, for one, really appreciate the way that Boomerang Bay sucks large quantities of humanity out of Kings Island for much of the day, making visits to the dry park that much more pleasant, given their *awful* ride capacity.

In general, I like what they're doing. It's clearly focused on the way people actually use the water park instead of trying to continue the failed "slides as iron rides" model that Kings Island actually did a fair job of fixing with the Waterworks->Boomerang Bay conversion. It really is moving in the right direction.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

They also could have compared to Coney Island, though I think that brings bad luck picking a fight with a legacy park. Also its too bad Surf Cincinnati is gone. Hamilton County and the nearby region was quite a waterpark hotbed of sorts for some time.

I think the other comparison is for Great Wolf, but Coney Island makes sense too.

Totally forgot about Great Wolf. You would think Ohio tourism would embrace and promote being 'the waterpark capital of the midwest' or something. There are some incredible choices for 2012.

I don't think that they want to step on the toes of Great Wolf. Aren't they in bed together?

Paramount had a stake in that location. No idea if that was part of the deal.