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CDC has decided today vaccinated people can indeed take off their masks inside and out. And don't worry about distancing. Live your life.

I think we've entered the stage of 'get a vaccine or take your own risk'. Which is totally fair at this point. Nobody over 12 can complain about vaccine availability, appointments are available in abundance.

Coaster Nation is very observant and knows when the park trims a tree and cuts the grass. Unfortunately, instead of posting their observations to bring up discussions, they jump to conclusions and present possibilities as fact just to get clicks. It really makes the rest of us who support the park look bad. While the rest of us are trying to help deliver the parks message because we love the park, there is CN who seems do the opposite and muddies/distracts the message trying to be delivered with already debunked or not confirmed information. I don't think the author of these articles means any harm in any way, but I feel publishing these articles is a major disservice in supporting Kings Island.

Hersheypark is no longer requiring masks and social distancing for fully vaccinated guests. Sounds cool but I wonder how they’re supposed to enforce this?

Haunt is happening this year as well as Winterfest. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Congratulations to her! Things like this are why KI is so ingrained into my psyche...childhood memories and the escape it offers. I am sure she will cherish these photos in the years to come!

Cincinnati's beloved amusement park Coney Island is kicking off the summer season with some new additions to its line-up of attractions. https://www.citybeat.com/arts-culture/blog/21152252/cincinnatis-coney-island-announces-new-attractions-this-year-like-a-giant-floating-obstacle-course

This is just a concept. I agree that we are still a few years out from anything going there.

I agree that nothing will probably happen to the site within the next two years however grass isn’t particularly expensive to plant.

Based on what I read in the Kings Island book which if you haven't read i recommend reading it. You can purchase a kindle version pretty cheaply, I think we are going to see something in Planet Snoopy and a waterpark expansion before any new coaster addition.

Spoiler alert it won’t. Based off the wording of the tweet I assume masks also won’t be required indoors. It’ll be interesting to see how quickly other parks follow suit.

Gene seems to find diamonds in the rough with used rides and refurbs them. He might be able to go on a used ride spending spree and build this and Clementon up!

Harmony Hall is the best place to eat. It has enough variety that everyone should be able to find something.

Yup, that's me. I'm going for it.

Oh so it is it's own thing. Got it. Hey, at least Coney Island is getting back on their feet. Seems that they are actually taking all of this pretty well.

Cracker Barrel right across the street is good. If you have meal plans then Harmony Hall is the right answer. Food overall is not near as good inside the park as King's Island or even Cedar Point. The Chickie and Pete I tried last Nov was terrible. The bread was even stale.

Too bad the pass preview day was cut short I like going to KI on Tuesdays, and I also enjoy Beast night rides. Get in line by 9:15 to beat the fireworks. But there are only six Tuesdays with a 10PM close. It used to be more like 10 per year, starting Memorial Day when school is out. 1) I know the season ends earlier each and every year 2) what's the deal? Why in the world would weekday closes at 10PM only last six weeks. Six weeks of summer?

I honestly don't understand this idea people have here that Kings Island is really concerned about making sure no coaster is taller than the Eiffel Tower. I honestly think that had absolutely 0 to do with how tall Orion is. If it had been in the budget, they probably would have gone ahead and made it a little taller. Don't get me wrong, I understand the logic I just think it's wrong. Yeah the Eiffel Tower is an important landmark there, but I HIGHLY doubt they feel it's important that they limit themselves on what kinds of attractions they should build based on this thing they built in 1972. If they came to the conclusion, for example, that building a TTD clone at KI would bring tons of people to the park for some reason, I don't think the height of the Eiffel Tower would come into play in that decision at all really. However I agree that they probably won't be building anything taller than Orion anytime soon. I'm having a hard time even thinking what the point would be. If you're looking for really tall coasters with big drops, they kind of have that covered already. Personally I think they'll be looking for a different kind of experience for the next few coaster additions.

He's an absolute legend. An asset to the industry, and to enthusiasts. Terrific Podcast.

The book was mentioned in the Cincinnati Enquirer: https://www.cincinnati.com/story/entertainment/2021/05/10/kings-island-2021-season-opening-may-15-what-you-need-know/4998018001/

Spending money on food, beer, games and merchandise. KI makes zero additional dollars on you standing in line.

Can you please describe these effects for those of us who can't make it to the park in the immediate future?

I love this concept. It would be a great way for some of these bands to get some recognition and be some fun entertainment for the guests.

Of course they did. If a plumber shows up at a park they will write a 6 page blog about how's it's for a new water coaster.

I’m indifferent to fast passes. I’ve never purchased one, granted I’m fortunate enough with my work schedule I’m able to go to the park on their slower days.

People will pay it regardless. Maybe it costs you out of it if they increase the costs, but to someone it won't. Just like there are people that cannot afford to go KI once a year, and many more that cannot afford a gold pass. Classic scenario of the have and have nots. Generally, those that cannot afford FL or don't want to spend that kind of cash do not like it and those that can afford it and purchase it like it. Around 2016 Disney started to raise rates exponentially and more frequently than annually as an attempt to lower attendance for crowd control..and up until Covid, they were still increasing attendance every year. The more expensive it gets, the more people assign an exclusivity to that experience. Disney attracted new visitors with the higher price point because these new visitors now associated the experience that they could afford that others now could not as a status symbol of their wealth. I could see that happen with FL here as well. Granted CF is not Disney, but there are people that will pay for it even at CF. CF could double FL prices and I think they could still sell the numbers they do now if they wanted to. It becomes an even bigger status symbol at that point and many in society will pay for that exclusivity. Basic human nature and supply and demand. It's the same across all aspects of our life, from the range of vehicle prices to 1-star to 5-star hotels and restaurants and everything in between. It's a status symbol. Even if they changed FL to you only got one ride on each ride per wrist band, there would be people that would then use up that wrist band and rip it off and then buy another one. Why - because they have the money to do so and will then brag about it to their social media channels... Heck, I know people that wanted to add another meal plan to their pass and the system doesn't allow that, so the person bought a second platinum pass with another meal plan, so now they have two platinum passes and two meal plans and two drink plans. It does provide another benefit as well... At some point someone will come here and complain about how unfair FL is and how expensive, etc., and that they will never visit the park again, but as long as people buy them and as long as they continue to have increased attendance, they are here to stay. Guess what, CF hears that argument all the time. It rears its ugly head on this forum every couple of years as well. Remember when they first introduced Fast Lane at KI as a test and people were posting here and on FaceBook that Cedar Fair will never get another dime of their money for being unfair and allowing people with money to have a better experience....most of those complaining ended up renewing. Some of them didn't renew the following year and sat out a year or two, but then got a pass again. And even a smaller few have held steady and haven't got a new pass. I know people in each category....That "never getting another dime of mine" complaint happens every year about Fast Lane or some other issue. So what was Cedar Fair's response to that test - they introduced season long Fast Lane the following year at KI and then later Fast Lane chain-wide and then later chain-wide season-long Fast Lane pass add-ons. Same thing happened with the meal plans. People complained about the lack of quality of food and the long lines and they would never buy another meal plan. Most sit out a year and then renew. The value is just too good. We see that argument here and on social media every year too. We will see posts of people on social media saying “because of this you are never getting another dime of my money”, but guess what, the reality is that as long as attendance increases every year and as long as the number of new passes sold are greater than the number of passes that do not renew, they will continue to sell them...they will always have incentives to entice new pass holders… As a business, they account for these losses of people not renewing. I personally thought all the complaining on social media about meal plans and Fast Lanes would have tipped the scales the other way and it didn’t…Maybe maxed out to capacity crowds everyday will, but probably not. Disney keeps raising their prices and keeps breaking attendance records… Look at the Bengals. Same thing. Their season pass holders have been complaining for years about the product put on the field and don’t renew, yet we still get the same promising 8-8 team or worse…Mike Brown is doing just fine in the bank account either way… At the end of the day, complaints and all, Kings Island provides a tremendous value for the dollar. A family can load their kids up with passes and meal and drink add-ons and drop them off to KI Daycare all summer for less than the cost of one week of day camp somewhere… When we have to worry is IF the scales tip the other way and they have more people staying away from the park because they felt the guest experience was not worth their time and money...at that point is when we see gate give-a-ways to increase attendance. And many of us remember some BAF free days under Paramount that were insanely crowded horrible guest experience days...

i mean they think everything is a story or a new ride lol just saying..

The same people who still probably think the dirt behind Banshee is land clearing or when they first removed Dinosaurs Alive, they thought the former dig site was land clearing (and CN posted an article about that).

Some people make mountains out of mole hills with land clearing at KI.

Social distancing in the lines was pretty non existent. The park was putting reminders out, so they were doing their part.

Done and I agree, we need a break from B&M for the next few coaster installs.

I still find it humorous that people think this is land clearing.

Those survey markings are for a waterline project that starts next year and ends in 2026 I believe and it's a Warren county thing not just KI.

As someone who doesn't live that close to any park and has limited time off from work, I love the option of FL+... Some days the added value is worth the extra cost to me... Some days it's slow and it isn't worth it to me... Everyone gets to do their own math on that and make their own choice...

I do think putting temporary staging in the parking lot similar to how Cedar Point does their concerts would be the answer. I would love to see Action Zone spruced up as it still has a lot of the latter day Paramount vibe in some parts.

Rode Sunday and it felt amazing! The bottoms of the hills where the train always kind of felt like it “crashed” were way more comfortable. Totally like a new ride! Now I wish I could have ridden it in ‘72 when it was ALL new!

It makes a lot of money for the chain. They need to build coasters and stuff to draw crowds, but a lot of those “nice to have” upgrades like painted buildings, pavers, and renovations stem from the fact that the company has a lot more cash flow. FL is a big reason why.

Someone like me who travels a long distance to visit a park I like fastlane. If I am driving 5+ hours to visit a park I wanna ride everything. I try to visit 5ish new parks a year and I want to get all the coaster credits. I recently visited Wild Adventures and they did not offer a fast pass and I missed 2 credits.

There was a hugely noticeable difference on The Racer when I rode it on Saturday. it was much more enjoyable.

What a refreshing statement. Couldn’t agree more.

Got my second covid-19 vaccine dose Saturday morning. Aside from a few side effects Sunday (very sore arm, low fever, headache, and a little nausea) I am fine now. Excited to be fully vaccinated.

May 8, 2021

Can't wait until tomorrow. It has been three years since my last Beast ride and hope to get a more comfortable ride with my weight loss. Those 2 clicks are awful when you have a few extra pounds.

Winterfest Thanksgiving weekend 2018