Kawana

I must be one of the only ones who prefer the old color scheme. I guess you can't really fight change, though....

I used to listen to In the Loop, but it got pushed out by other podcasts.

My problem is that I'm so tall (6'5"). I know it's a different park but I had to take a walk of shame on Mystery Mine. I just couldn't get the OTS restraint down enough. I think my height was the factor there. I'm trying to run but my stamina just isn't there. I've had success in riding my bike on the trails with losing weight in the past, but I wonder if I'm just too "exceptional" to have fun at parks anymore.

Now this is the way to increase spending in the park. Kudos to Cedar Fair for actually giving perks that people will use.

Exactly. You beat me to it. So what's the verdict? Boddah, Dane?

Does anyone access the forums with tapatalk? One of the main reasons I've fallen off with KIC is that it's not easy to access with a mobile phone (to me anyway) and I just heard about tapatalk, which would seem to make things easier. Is KIC set up for tapatalk access? Thanks for the help.

Update... We loved Dollywood. It's not a park where you're going to smash rides all day, but it was a nice park. We got the qbots on the Saturday, but we didn't need them at all, either day. Even though we didn't really need them, we both decided that we will probably always use a system like that when on vacation. It simply makes things easier. Tennessee Tornado is one of the best Arrows I've ever ridden, and Thunderhead was awesome. I would love for Kings Island to get a GCI. I was not able to ride Mystery Mine, however. I think there is an issue with my chest being too big, or with me just being too tall. The discount that the season pass affords a guest is tremendous. With using the pass, we got parking for three days ( we processed our passes the night we got to town to save time), my wife bought a windchime from the glass blower, I got a break on the qbot, we got the discounted price at Dixie Stampede, and we bought clothes at that large gift shop on the way out of the park. All told, with food, and everything else mentioned above, I believe that I definitely recouped the difference between the regular pass and the gold pass, maybe twice over. All in all it was a great visit and we both can't wait to get back down, hopefully later this year.

Diamond back rough? Are you kidding? If you're not, thay have a kids area, you know........ Why would thinking that the ride is bumpy in a few spots qualify a person to be relegated to the "kids area?" I totally agree. These two points in the ride feel very bumpy to me, which in turn creates two uncomfortable spots in an otherwise enjoyable ride.

That thing hauls after the second lift.

Yes, I'm aware. I never had to before, so it didn't cross my mind.

Nice to see you again standbyme. School is getting out so I might be a bit more active on the forums. I'm grateful every time an employee helps me out, in any way. In all actuality, I was just venting about a crappy day at the park, and this is what pushed me over the edge. Whichever direction the park wants to go, I'm fine with. Just be consistent. It all falls on management and training. This is not a Cedar Fair issue either, my company is negligent when it comes to management as well. It seems that people almost never want to do what they're supposed to and make sure that everyone is on the same page.

Thanks for the breakdown gad... That really helps. I did realize that we would only have to buy one gold pass, so that's a plus. I wonder if we would perhaps get down again maybe in November or something to really make the passes worthwhile. The Qbots really seem like they help you to rack up rides. I would assume it would be possible to ride other smaller things while waiting for the marquee attractions. I'm interested if only to see how well it works for us.

Not really, because I never needed an associate's assistance before.

That's exactly what I was thinking. I'll pay a little extra if it means I'll be able to see everything. How exactly do the Qbots work? I've never used anything like that before at all, so any info would be appreciated. On a related note, we looked at the prices and since we're going to go for two days it might make sense to get a season pass. Is that crazy? It's definitely a saving of the regular gate, but is that crazy? I wouldn't mind going back down in the winter but if the pass only lasts until the end of 2011, I"m not so sure.

We're planning a trip to Dollywood at the end of June, probably the last weekend. For those who know, would it be worth it for us to purchase the Qbot on a Saturday and Sunday, or just Saturday? I'm wondering what crowds will be like and if the Qbot really saves that much time, it would probably be a good deal to make sure we see everything.

That's the thing, this wasn't a busy day at all. Rides Associates are allowed to assist a guest in getting that last click. Trust me, I do it every day. How many clicks are required at minimum? A couple weeks ago, my girlfriend and I rode racer. She had clicked it 3-4 times and it was tight. The ride op then forced it down to that "one more click" and it was so tight, her legs ended up with giant bruises. We were not amused. Earlier that very day we had ridden The Racer with NO problem, so it CLEARLY wasn't a weight gain issue. In hindsight, I wish I had gotten that ride op's name. We really wanted to complain to guest services! Inconsistency !!!

Diamondback was rough last year also. The fanboys won't admit it, but it was....

I understand your points but also know that on this particular day, it had rained twice, and the train was nowhere near being full. He could have easily taken that extra 2 seconds to help me out. I'm not only calling for consistency in terms of ride ops, but in terms of everything in the park. There have been numerous occasions where I and my wife have experienced wildly inconsistent service on a number of issues (Water at restaurants, info from park employees).

May I ask your height and weight? I am 6'4" 240lb. I was 260 last summer and had plenty of room. If you don't want to answer my question, I respect your reasons. I do not want to disrespect you. Thanks I'm 6'5" and 300+, but I didn't think I got that much bigger than last season, in fact I felt like I lost some weight. I'm not trying to pass the buck at all, I was just wondering if the winter weight + a seatbelt issue led to my WOS. I really thought it was weird that he wouldn't help because at Diamondback, the checker helped me get that one last click earlier in the day... Very inconsistent, but I guess that's the order of the day at Kings Island.

Did Vortex's seat belts get shortened? I ask because I rode all last season without incident, but as I attempted to ride in 5-1 on Sunday the 22nd, I could not get the belt to reach. I was hoping the checker would help me out and give me that last click, but he immediately said "I need you to exit the train." What gives??? I'm sure that one more click would have done it for me, but the checker had no interest at all. I was not pleased to say the least.

I'm not pro or con with regards to the addition. But I do wonder, "Am I alone in asking, 'Why Dinosaurs?'" It just seems odd and feels like it doesn't fit at all with the park. Is this just me?

This seems like a head scratcher to me. I can't believe that this is what their research is telling them people want.

I wasn't really worried about the phone flying out, rather I was concerned about it slamming against the restraint and breaking my phone to bits.

For all the cargo pants/shorts fans here, do you find that your phone and such are flopping around wildly when on a ride such as Diamondback or Vortex? It seems to me that the phone would bang on the restraint on DB, but maybe I'm wrong.

Ditto. I took the day off from work just to go to the announcement.