Seven-story water slide complex coming to Kings Island in 2016
By amusementtoday | August 19, 2015
MASON, Ohio – Kings Island announced a major expansion to its Soak City Waterpark for the 2016 season with the addition of Tropical Plunge, a complex of six different water slide experiences towering nearly seven stories.
Three of the slides on the 65-foot tall complex will start with guests climbing inside an Aqua-Launch chamber where they will wait anxiously for the floor to drop out from underneath their feet, sending them into a high-speed, almost vertical free fall through a series of flat loops and S-curves in a translucent flume.
Tropical Plunge also features a slide that will send riders twisting and spiraling through an enclosed chute featuring four intense 360-degree loops across 449 feet of slide before they’re released out into a pool of water and dueling 337-foot long tube slides that zip riders through an enchanting series of drops and turns.
“This will be a high-adrenaline attraction that will increase the thrill factor for our park guests,” Kings Island’s Vice President and General Manager Greg Scheid said. “They have been asking for new and more thrilling waterpark attractions they are able to enjoy with family members and we think this answers their feedback plus brings another element ofFUN to the overall experience of Kings Island.”
Tropical Plunge will expand the size of Kings Island’s waterpark to 35 acres. Once the attraction has been built, Soak City Waterpark will have a total of 36 slides; two wave pools; two coves; a lagoon and an action river plus children’s play areas among its more than 50 water activities.
Construction on Tropical Plunge is expected to begin this fall and will be ready by Memorial Day 2016, the start of the waterpark’s 27th season.
In addition to the new water slide complex, in conjunction with the City of Mason’s renovation of Kings Island Drive, a grander more welcoming park entrance with 13 new entrance lanes will be built on the north end of the parking lot, creating a much-improved traffic flow. The new entrance will replace the current north and south toll plazas.
Kings Island is owned and operated by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, a publicly traded partnership that is listed for trading on The New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “FUN.”
