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We used to have a running joke that Kings Island could announce that they had found a free cure for cancer and in the comments some hillbilly would still say, "Yeah, you can give out a cure for cancer but you still have to charge $13.99 for a Cheese Coney meal."

It truly was the best day ever! It was such good timing, because this is probably our last trip until Haunt, so it was an amazing way to top off our summer at Kings Island!!!

Working here at the park, it makes me smile seeing a fellow KICer able to have the true Best Day Ever experience from Kings Island. Im glad you guys had a great night!

To finish the night our boys got to launch the fireworks!

In Vortex's defense, I've seen plenty of other rides that are known to have good or even great reputations get slammed on social media sites like Facebook or Youtube. Cedar Point's Blue Streak- known for being a pretty good woodie- Cedar Point made a FB POV post of it, and there were- to my shock- tons of comments calling it garbage. Mystic Timbers- currently ranking as one of the top wooden coasters in the world in the early polls that include it- is also called garbage just because it is "only" 109 feet tall and "only" goes 53mph, even without mentioning the shed complaints. Banshee- giant inverted coaster, something KI fans had been asking to get for YEARS- has people calling it garbage too, and demanding the park tear it down and rebuild Son of Beast (Don Helbig probably takes one look at comments like that and LOLZ). If Kings Island (or any major park) builds a coaster or any ride really, odds are, someone on social media will call it garbage at least once. Also I will mention that of all the people I have met and traveled to Kings Island with personally- which is about 20+ people so far- only 3 refused to ride Vortex, and most of the others liked the ride. One of my many uncle's actually considered it his favorite coaster at the park (though that's just through conversation as I haven't been to the park with said Uncle in years). I also wanted to mention that on my Birthday this year, April 22nd, I went to Kings Island. It was cold and dreary so there were not very many lines at all, and while my sister and I (it was just us) were walking back to Mystic Timbers I noticed Vortex was stuck on the lift hill, broken down apparently. We rode Mystic Timbers with a 15-minute wait, and then walked on Beast and Diamondback. While we were "in line" (more like walking up to the station since there was no line) for Diamondback, I saw Vortex doing test runs, and we decided to ride that next- we went there and suddenly there was a 15 minute wait for Vortex, while Diamondback was still a walk-on. Vortex clearly still has something at least resembling a fan-base left if it can get a 15-minute wait for re-opening after a breakdown when everything else, save the new-for-2017 Woodie, is a walk-on. Vortex may have a few more years in it still, as long as maintenance costs aren't sky high- which I don't think they should be for such a common ride type (Arrow Loopers are everywhere and tons of companies make replacement parts), even at Vortex's age.

Fast Lane for those horrific food lines most likely(please let me be wrong) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This is one of the reasons why we don't eat in the park. Food prices are absolutely ridiculous and I refuse to give into that kind of robbery. If we're going to be at the park longer than just a few hours, I will gladly leave and come back rather than to drop $20 on low-quality junk. If people would take a stand and quit buying food, and more importantly food plans, you'd see the park remedy the situation so fast it will make your head spin. Like someone said on here in the past, the park already has your money in advance for the food you're going to eat (food plan purchases), so what's motivating them to step up their game? If people are buying this food regularly, then why put forth extra effort to change things? The only way change will happen is if the park feels pressure to do so. Pressure usually comes in the form of lack of profits. As long as people are willing to spend $20 on chicken crap, we probably won't see a change. Remember, as consumers we vote with our wallets. What are you voting for?

Last week I met a guest who was convinced Kings Island had had an observation tower (the kind with a rotating cabin) at one point. Now when I think of it, maybe he was thinking of the late Space Spiral at Cedar Point. Maybe.

I get a good kick out of them at times by trying to find the more ridiculous comments or suggestions. For instance, on a post about the family care center, someone stated that KI should start a day care center for her 3 year old. The main argument being there wasn't anything to do for a 3 year old and that way she could drop her kid off at the day care and ride rides with her older kid. If only there was an award winning kids area where said 3 year old could play. Comedic gold!

Agree fully with this. The situation itself I don't really blame on Kings Island. AS stated it's not something that could be seen until the piece was broken into. However, the way they handle the situation is 100% on them, and this was an extremely poor reaction to a situation that would have had an easy remediation. Person gets bad food, even shows proof, wants a refund and they'd be happy. Done. Instead they choose to jsut ignore it causing person to have to print a bad review of teh location adn the customer service.

My 11 year-old daughter LOVES Vortex...

On Facebook and Instagram, when KI posts about Vortex, most of the comments are always negative, which irks me. Yes, there are people who don't like Vortex, but at work I have met many more who love it and call it one of their favorite rides, including kids in the 48" crowd as Vortex is the only looping coaster at KI that has a height requirement of 48". That being said, the positive view of Vortex is quite often underrepresented on social media...and Facebook is definitely no exception.

As we were walking through Planet Snoopy with our boys this evening, we were approached by a staff member that said she likes to find families with kids that like Snoopy and we're given this! Very cool end to our day!!!!

^It's the internet. Dealing with posters on any form of social media is an adventure in and of itself. You just gotta roll with it. Fighting it is like fighting the ocean. If you really want to see some concentrated crazy posts, try YouTube.

They come prebreaded. I doubt you could see that through the breading and that's if anyone was actually checking every individual piece. While KI is not really at fault for this (go to Wall Mart, buy a DVD player and it breaks. Not Walmarts fault) it should have been replaced or refunded with no questions asked. This is another reason why Disney has the upper hand. Yes, it's ungodly expensive but just got back and while we were there, my daughter dropped her Mickey ice cream bar from it being so hot. Disney's fault? Nope but they gave her a new one. No questions asked. Similar the day before with an ice cream cone. Daughter dropped it while trying to eat it. Went to buy another and was given a replacement. Bought a $15 bubble wand. Kids played with them nonstop for a week. Last day, it stopped working unless you twisted it. Asked a vendor if they had seen it happen before and next thing I know, we have a new one. No questions asked. These parks make a killing off of food and merch and often you spend more than the price of admission. It's just good custom service even though some will abuse it.

This is a post that I hate to make. It is not intended to be aggressive attack, but a legitimate heads up. Hopefully some one at the park will see this and take action. More on that in a bit. Let me start out by stating an opinion: The food at Kings Island is flat out abysmal. I'm sure some will disagree with me, but the quality is severely lacking for something of that price point. It's nothing short of highway robbery. On June 2nd, my girlfriend and I decided on a last minute trip to the park after work (we're both Gold Pass holders). I didn't get off until six and by the time we made it to the park I was relatively hungry. We make our way to the Red's Hall of Fame Grill, because you know... wings and Budweiser, right? I mean, come on. After a long 9 hour work day I'd like to have a nice sit down dinner, take it easy, and enjoy the park. As we arrive outside of the Red's Hall of Fame Grill we are greeted with a line out the door. We wait for a bit and get inside... So Kings Islands only sit down restaurant isn't much of a sit down kind of place anymore? Lame. Yeah, this is a total first world problem and I won't dwell on it, but again. Really really lame. So we bail and head deeper into Rivertown and settle on Potato Works because I wasn't going to put up with the wait. Potato Works was about a 20 minute wait (yikes!), but it is what it is. Hey, they had a nice wing/french fry basket! And Budweiser! It's all good! But it's not all good, friends. The nice young lady behind the counter informs me that they don't serve beer as I place my order. I tilt my head slightly and nod to the large Budweiser sign behind her head. She turns, glances at the sign, and turns back at me and says, "No one here is old enough to sell it. Sorry." Hmm. Again, total first world problem. That being said... lame. So so so lame. But there are bigger problems in the world and beer at amusement parks shouldn't be one of them. I place an order for a boneless wing basket and two Cokes for my girlfriend and I to split which brought me to a grand total of around $19 (double yikes!). The price was a bit tough to swallow (pun absolutely, 100% intended), but it's Kings Island food prices. "People gotta eat!" So... bite number one: Oh boy! Let me tell you how lovely it was to have that delicious blackish red, sludge-like substance go down your throat: Really lovely! The fries were also soggy and bland beyond measure. I figured no one at Potato Works would be of any help so it all went into the trash. On to Guest Services! Now, I have to say that the young lady I spoke with at Guest Services was incredibly nice. Very apologetic and professional. I even showed her the picture of the blood-nugget (see above, kids)! She promptly took my name, number and email to pass along to a supervisor because I was informed that I would be waiting a while to speak to someone that night. And like I've said twice already: In the grand scheme of things this isn't the end of the world. It's food. Really crappy food, but just food. I just wanted my $19 back. That's all. So then I wait to be contacted. 20 days!! 20 days it took to be contacted by the "Food and Beverage Area Manger," and only to have them kind of insult me because I decided not to wait around Guest Services to speak with someone. LAME. I emailed them back in regards to the situation and sent the picture as well. The PR apologies kicked in and I was informed that... " The product that we serve for our boneless chicken bites at that location comes to us pre-breaded and pre-packaged, so I am sure that no one is aware that the contents of that chicken bite would look like that... (we) will most definitely be in contact with our supplier regarding the contents of that chicken bite." Two things here, friends: 1. Did I seriously just pay almost $20 dollars for pre-breaded/packaged/frozen boneless chicken wings from an undisclosed location? 2. Is Kings Island actually going to push responsibility of the lovely blood-nugget off onto a third party? Aren't they the ones who decided to serve this garbage to the general public? As of 6/25 I was handed off to some other supervisor within the Food and Beverage Department via email. I haven't heard from either of them since even after reaching out again a few days ago. Quite simply, I just want my $19 back. That's all. Kings Island, if you read these boards (and I know you do) you need to step up your game. As a season pass holder for 11 years I can honestly say that the park in general hasn't felt this cheap in... well, ever. It's really disappointing. I'm not writing this post to start a flame war, but just to bring light to the situation. And maybe even get some kind of response from the park because they're apparently ignoring me. I love Kings Island, but am kind of becoming disillusioned to it all. I'm putting serious thought into not renewing our passes for next year. My girlfriend and I went to Coney Island a few weekends ago and had a blast. I'm thinking we might do season passes next season. But! Kings Island l, I love ya still. I'm not mad at you, just disappointed. Sorry for the long post. But for real... my $19 would be great. Edit: The picture inserted isn't showing up. It's attached now! Yummy!

I completely agree! Not only are the food prices very high but overall the quality is not there. I wouldn't mind paying if the food was good and they had some signature items. When I go to Dollywood I look forward to the food as much as I do the rides. Yes the prices are higher which is to be expected (just like Kings Island) but the food is actually really good and memorable. Like the cinnamon bread at the Grist Mill or giant pizza slices at Lumberjack Pizza or the italian sausages and grilled peppers grilling along side the midway or the fried chicken restaurant with Miss Lillian the crazy chicken lady, I'm getting hungry thinking about it! The point is there isnt anything at Kings Island that is better or more unique than something you can get at a fast food joint on the way. Not to mention how long the food lines have gotten this season. So for the time being Ill be voting with my food dollars elsewhere.

Good to know; I will have to check this out when I go Saturday...

In defense of food service (which I am generally critical of)... Not all food is bad. Chicken Shack, Hanks, Skyline and Island Smokehouse are good to very good and there is enough food for two people. They seem to have put some effort into this department this season, but speed of service and the attitude of many of the employees need major improvement. Sent from my LG-LS993 using Tapatalk

Let's not forget that yes it's processed food. But odds are they went with the cheapest supplier.... you get what you pay for on food suppliers.... I think what worries me then most about this situation is the apologists that are content with this. The "eh itsnone bad thing, they'll get it right next time". Or my favorite "if you want a Disney experience go to Disney, you won't get it here".... basically saying a below average experience is appropriate. I'm a current meal plan holder that will not be renewing next season. We've had it for a few years. Each year I've said maybe next year it will be better... I can count 3 places the meal plan is good for right now... Chick Fil A, Panda Express, and LaRosas (some times).... (haven't been to the Tom and Cher yet).. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I follow Kings Island's official Facebook page and it has gotten to the point where I cringe when I see one of their posts. Not due to the content of the posts but due to the comments on the posts. People amaze me with the things they say on Facebook. I guess I shouldn't be surprised but sometimes I can't help myself and just have to chime in. Anyone else follow them on FB and see what I'm talking about?

Shed Spoiler:

Click on your name, Account settings. Signature is under there.

^yes, I've noticed a surprising number of young people who cite Vortex as their favorite coaster in the park.

Vortex was THE coaster that got me over my fear of Roller Coasters. Not to mention, I still find it to be very fun, and not as bad as other Custom Loopers. And one time when I rode it, the kids in front of me absolutely loved the ride and kept saying they wanted to go again. I feel like with all the negative things made about it that its life is near its end. I'd be really happy if I'm wrong, however. And I hope I am.

So I made an account yesterday to reply to the lady talking about how there should be a daycare center. I said "Yeah, if only there were an award winning kids area for them to have fun in... oh wait!" Checked again today. It was marked for spam. Oh boy.

Ride mechanics are not allowed to say why a ride is down, same with operators.

But still is representative of the overall quality that Kings Island is comfortable serving to its customers.

Then I reiterate my previous statement that raw product does fall on the employees and their apparent lack of training. Just not acceptable

Yeah, reading people *****ing on FB is great. Just imagine what the parks guest relations has to put up with. Seems like the topic of the month is that people don't want to pay for the hard park if all they are doing is the waterpark. Well they forget the waterpark is technically an addition to the hardpark. KI isn't setup to charge for them separately and if they did it'd probably be a ton more crowded. They also complain about wanting a chaperon wrist band because they arent riding anything or are just at the waterpark with their kids and shouldn't have to pay to get in. The general public is a most interesting thing. I honestly don't know how they can go through life not questioning why things are the way they are. But I guess critical thinking isn't as natural as it comes to some of us.

The actual price of All Season Fast Lane is $387.93 with the exchange rate. (for Canada's Wonderland)

We visit Disney alot I know how much it cost to go there. I know we will need more than $600.00 but putting that extra money towards something extra at Disney trip that we normally would not do like stay on resort ect...

I really believe that the biggest blow to intelligent public discourse in my lifetime began when news organizations started allowing unmoderated anonymous posting to be shown directly under their articles. It was the journalists who put in the work of writing and researching, the news org put in the money and administration to maintain web presence, and they held no small amount of authority and responsibility for what was written in their articles; but then they allowed every jerk with internet access to raise their voices to nearly the same level, without the requirement of either thought, effort, or culpability. Newspapers and magazines used to publish letters to the editors: not just positive reactions, but dissenting opinions. The difference was that they didn't publish everything anyone thought to send in, they filtered it down to the most coherent and well-thought-out arguments. Cranks wrote plenty of letters but were rarely published: they were mostly confined to airing their opinions to family, friends, and random strangers. With the ability to say nearly anything anonymously, with almost no effort, the idea "everyone is entitled to my opinion" became so ingrained in the public psyche (like the nearly-as-damaging "the customer is always right") that even people who aren't loud mouthed jerks give it a certain amount of leeway. So even when the anonymity is taken away someplace like Facebook, cranks think whatever they have to say is so important that they feel free to post it alongside their names. Actually, that is one good thing to come from Facebook, though: by making people actually take ownership of their comments, I've learned enough about what is going on inside the head of certain acquaintances to steer clear of them. Life is too short to spend it with negative unconstructive people.

"I thought Mystic Timbers was just a cheap renovation of The Beast and was not anything new! Wow!"

I worked parking lot security for a year (back when they hired people to attempt to direct traffic). People do very, very strange things:)

All the comment sections for anything as big as Kings Island is, for the most part, nothing but "diarrhea of the keyboard". Really stupid people saying really stupid things, with flawed arguments and even more flawed grammar.

Between the weather, Bring a Friend, and several company picnic, only Chic Fil A has no line

I had pretty high expectations, and quite honestly I think Mystic Timbers exceeded them. I loved the theme. The entrance just gives a gloomy feel to it with the truck and a person warning you not to enter. As for the ride, I absolutely loved it. All the airtime and felt out of control, and I especially enjoyed it at night. It irks me, however, when I look at POV videos on Youtube and the comments are always something like "We waited 8 months for this!?"

I believe it was said at Coasterstock that most of the park will be open.

The more I ride Mystic Timbers, the more I like it. The more I like it, the more curious I get about it. The more curious I get, the more things I find. On YouTube, there is the official soundtrack to the ride. From that, I found a recording that someone did of the audio from the truck. Holy smokes, they went all out in the theming details of this ride! A Coast-to-Coast style radio call in show, inferences to the blonde headed ghost in the blue dress and her mischevious ways, and on an on. Way more detail than I had ever picked up on. This, in turn, makes the shed make much more sense. It seems that the park is really giving what many of us want: An actual themed coaster. Good music on I-Street. Winterfest. Food--they are working on it. Color me impressed.

So Friday I proposed to my beautiful girlfriend at the entrance thanks for everyone's help. Btw she said yes! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yes, it's in case the train overshoots the station. The same happens at the Cedar Point Frontiertown station, with the crossing right in front of the station being closed as the train approaches, reopening once the clear signal is given, and then closing again at dispatch. That's not it, since the crossing is designed to block access to the tracks while open. Also, as with CP above, the crossing is reopened while the train is loading and unloading.

It's a shame that the only consistent food in the park is made up by outside chain restaurants. Cheap fast food to boot.

I thought it was outstanding, and blew away my expectations going in. Got a few night rides in, even one close to midnight. After it's been running all day and the speed it maintained was amazing, as the train was ripping it up to the shed. The POV does not do it justice at all. Coasters like this with an speedy, out control feeling combined with ejector air are my favorite. There were even some excellent laterals in the far turnaround. Tough for me to really rank coasters, but it's in my top tier along with Voyage, Ravine Flyer II, and Boulder Dash. My 2nd tier would be the likes of Phoenix, Shivering Timbers, GE Comet, Raven, and Legend, and I'd pick this in a second over those. Might just be because my last ride near midnight was just plain insane in terms of speed. Hope it's even breaking-in in a little and yields that through the year. As for the Shed.. Meh. My favorite ride in the park, with Beast at night being my favorite "Experience" still.

THIS! I went airtime. Based, basically, on Banshee vs. Diamondback.