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And guess what’s still closed....

What’s missing?

I just rode DT and the parking lot is almost full. AE is out the queue into the midway. I will hand it to the park, they are running like it has been open for months. This is the best preview/opening I have ever seen.

I am loving seeing all these updates in this thread and the "Current Wait times" thread. While driving by today, the parking lot looked packed (which is a VERY good sign) and I could see Drop Zone, The Bat and WindSeeker running. This is getting me really excited for next Sunday! I am just so ready to come back to the park after being gone for a year due to the pandemic.

@King Ding Dong must be at the park today.

I was at Friends and Family night yesterday as well. I rode Blue Racer in row five, and one thing I noticed is that all the non-wheel seats and the front seat were labeled probably to indicate smoother seats. My ride was very smooth, and the airtime on the outwards run was very good. The first two airtime hills, and the airtime hill before the turnaround felt a lot less drawn-out and delivered great airtime. However, the return trip after the turnarounds is still a little rough, and it is noticeable after coming off a such smooth first half. I really hope Kings Island has Gravity Group come back next offseason to re-track and re-profile The Racer’s second half.

Having not set foot in a park since late 2019 (Winterfest/SFMM), it was almost comforting to just walk around the park. Planned to tackle an Orion credit, but that was quickly dashed the moment I pulled up into the parking lot. It's quite a sight to see in person, I'll say that much. When you see queue lines for just food and even the bathroom almost anywhere you walk, you know it's time to just hedge your bets and just hit up the park on another day and not feel bad about it. Let's just say I'm glad that 2020 passholders were given 2021 as a consolation. Guess I underestimated how many people were itching to get out and around because of the pandemic. I'm sure CF as a whole will have better days ahead thanks to rising vaccinations.

Probably still up in the air but this poster definitely isn't going to limit them from adding Haunt to the lineup if they want.

Update: MT 90 minute posted wait. Actual wait: 35 minutes. And the ride is HAULING. Fastest ride I've ever had on it.

@FUN&ONLY!, I just got off The Racer and totally agree with this. Smooth and more direct pops of air. I really appreciate the new track work.

Must be a day ending in 'y' :)

It’s not the angle.

And we are underway!!! Currently in line for Orion.

An update of the continued work on The Racer. This brought a tear to my eye, https://www.visitkingsisland.com/blog/2021/may/kings-island-brings-back-beloved-original-logo-on-racer-roller-coaster-trains?fbclid=IwAR0ES-Hi4V3GU6mBO4oBaTVjuOhyFwQOhrdDkRvD5RYZ-JZWmJVlyfmmZFo

So, they definitely need more lights on in the parking lot after dark...

Anyone know if they will be bringing back the special chefs plate like they did last year? We never made it to one but the pictures and blogs about the specials looked fantastic and seemed to have been a hit! because of the lines we went for value and did Panda Express today. Was really good as usual and they always load it up which is nice even for those paying full price. The food staff handled the crowd well though kudos to them for this very busy first day!

There was an ennthusiast in line for DB trying to explain enthusiast language to the GP and it was hilarious, glazed look from the GP and he just kept going.

They sold out today

Racer radio is more awesome for sure. Edit- welcome back to awesomeness Racer! Gonna be great once the track breaks in.

https://queue-times.com/en-US/parks/60/queue_times

Just rode The Racer. Wow!!! So much better. It’s like we got a new ride after all this year

Left around 4 had a line to leave the exit.

I actually like the wings. They are smoked. The only thing is I wish they came with ranch though. I also wish they would bring back the hot sauce to the condiments table (they took it away from it in 2018 I believe or mid 2019 I don't remember). If you like dry rub wings, I recommend trying the ones at Outback Steakhouse. They are dry with seasoning.

Just got here. This place is PACKED. The food lines are insane. Just jumped in line for MT. Posted 90 min wait. We'll see.

My children tried the wings. I had one and we all agreed they were dry. The seasoning was good though.

Just got out of chicken shack after waiting an hour....... They didn't have the spicy chicken sandwich but they did have wings which I didn't know they had.... They look really good I know they are having problems wjth taking cards and they are trying their best lol... Those poor teens seemed stressed. Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

I don't see anyone complaining about operations, just how busy it is. That is a good thing for the park.

Please guys be patient. This is literally the first day on the job for many associates. Several of them it could be their first day at a job period! I can guarantee you they are doing the best they can at their job!

A little busy at Chicken Shack. Line goes almost to Coaster Connections. I thought the speed they were putting out food was pretty good. I have been impressed with operations with it being opening and so busy!

Parking opened about 1010. You could scan into the park and line up for rides. But rides didn’t run until 11.

Yikes. I'm at my son's baseball game so we won't be rolling in until around 4:00. Hopefully people will get discouraged by the lines and clear out by evening. Hey, one can dream right? Other than Orion how are the lines elsewhere?

Happy season passholder opening day 2021!!!

Park is packed and full queue at MT. Be patient if you are here or coming.

LMAO, pandemic is over. Just as I expected.

Could be the angle that the photo is taken but social distancing doesn’t seem to be off to a great start…

I also rode Blue Racer last night, in row 9 (a wheel seat!) and it was the smoothest ride I have ever had on it. There were still small bumps here and there as expected, but it is a night-and-day experience from my first ride in 2008 (which was the roughest). As the first big coaster I rode, I have a whole new appreciation for Racer and will definitely make sure to ride it more often!

Rode blue side in the first seat earlier today, I can definitely say it was the smoothest ride I’ve ever had on Racer by far. The difference was incredible.

Greg Scheid did consider putting in a wing coaster at the park, but at a different time than Thunderbird...I’d recommend checking out the book Kings Island: A Ride Through Time!

I was fortunate enough to take a ride on Racer tonight at the friends and family event. Blue side, second seat. Best Racer ride for me in years. The new outbound stretch was whipped cream smooth and the entire ride was great. Great job to KI and GG for all the TLC on Racer. I’d still love a backwords ride, but short of that, I’m thankful that Racer is running fantastic again.

Just rode the blue side tonight, it’s SOOO much smoother than it used to be!

Just got home from friends and family night and everything was open right up to 9:00 which was when they closed tonight.

https://www.visitkingsisland.com/entertainment/fireworks This page states there will be fireworks tomorrow Sat May 8th. There was also fireworks on passholder preview night in 2019 when the park was open on a Friday from 5-10pm. The difference is this year for the first time ever Fast Lane is valid on preview night.

Last season, I observed 930 line close on fireworks nights for both Beast and Orion (3 visits). All other coasters remained open until park close.

I think they pulled that trigger with having a reason to do so. I am happy about the decision and hope it stays permanent.

I really, really hope that we’re back to paper maps this year. I was at Dollywood in March and they were using paper maps, so it’s definitely safe to do.

So long as they make the sandwich fresh (!) it ought to be great. I noticed that they were not making tater barrels fresh at MRBH last season, which really makes them not good. Fried potato products have a life, and it's quite short. All food is better made quickly, to order (not assembled from stuff fried 30 minutes ago).

I have to admit, I love coasters but the biggest thing I'm looking forward to in 2021 is the food. Chef Major and his team were unbelievable last year and I'm hoping the Saturday specials are back (and on the meal plan :)). First time I've look forward to FOOD for a theme park season. Well done culinary team!