Tropical Plunge- Kings Island Waterpark Expansion for 2016!

[TTD03]

Seven-story water slide complex coming to Kings Island in 2016

Kings Island announced on August 19th 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.

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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 of FUN 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.

Source visitkingsisland.com

Update: 2:18 PM

Pics!

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Update: 2:19 PM

Update: 2:22 PM:

Someone Periscoped the event: Watch it here!

Update: 2:24 PM:

Looks like my days of being able to rip on KI's waterpark for not having a trapdoor waterslide like the Hurricane Bay expansion are numbered. I guess they're not doing anything with the Racer? That's a relief.

I rather enjoy these slides for what they are. even though I generally dislike water parks. But a bigger CF park getting something the smaller parks already have is something I can laugh at, even though I know how silly it sounds

I do love these waterslides with colorful loops!

I'd been expecting Kings Island's waterpark to add the trapdoor waterslides at some point since those are starting to become the norm among waterparks nowadays. The new parking toll booth is also a nice addition because the current ones are pretty small considering how big the park is.

Quick little update! vertical construction has started for tropical plunge!

[herman116]

That looks very tropical with all that snow...
Nice to see all the supports standing.

When this image was posted, I was like "Why plenty of white chimneys? Oh wait... just supports lol."

Not much as changed in the water park, but the park has tweeted out that the former demolished Funnel Cake stand area will be used as a new game called "soccer challenge". A new funnel cake stand looks to be being built where the basketball game was or to the left of it and under Diamondbacks drop. Another thing just recently tweeted, White Water Canyon will recieve a new entrance. If I remember correctly. the new entrance will feature a tunnel that goes under the train tracks. The only problem i see with that is that the first thing you come across when you come up from the tunnel would be the exit for the ride.


EDIT 2/2/16 - Just recently found this tweet from Don Helbig saying that the exit for White Water Canyon will be re routed.

Welp, there goes one of the nicest queues I've ever experienced.

^ Yeah, guests can walk just under Diamondback supports!

This is bigger news then Diamondback.

lol240 wrote:

^ Yeah, guests can walk just under Diamondback supports!

Beautiful wooded area > Faded yellow and tan supports