XGatorHead 8904

^ Vortex was there long before the water was taken out around The Beast. The reason I heard for the water's removal was because it was a good breeding ground for mosquitoes, plus it collected trash pretty regularly and the water made it not so easy to keep the area clean.

Thank u! Mama n tha bois lyk 2 c grate revoos lyk this 1! -Sam When it rains, the outdoor scare zones close and the scareactors are put inside the indoor houses. To review these as you did is not fair because you didn't get the full experience... all you saw were the props. And Don does not run the park, nor does he oversee the haunt attractions, as JubJester pointed out above. To call him out for a closed outdoor attraction on a rainy night is not an accurate or polite thing to do.

I'll take this as a win for Slaughterhouse. Sam says it was good seeing you again the other night!

As full time Supervisor of Admissions during that time, I can confirm how things were done. We did use wristbands during the upcharge years of FearFest. Wristbands were originally available at the General Admission booths, at the Return Visit booth inside the park next to Keyhole Photo and we also had associates in the park selling wristbands out of aprons. The first year, as the weeks went on and the popularity of FearFest became apparent, we expanded sales into the Season Pass Sales windows and Big Booth (the Group Sales building) and had people selling them from aprons outside the front gate too. Once FearFest started, you had to have a wristband in order to get in line for rides and enter the haunts. Close to the time of FearFest opening (an hour before?) we set up bicycle rack barricades inside the front gate along with signs directing guests to exit through the old season pass gate. No exiting was permitted through the front gate once the barricades were set up; that was to free up the front gate as an entrance only so we could have a smooth flow of traffic, in through the front gate and out through the season pass gate. Once it was clear that the main flow of regular park guests exiting the park and the main flow of FearFest guests entering the park was over, the barricades were removed and the front gate operated as normal. At no time was the park entirely cleared then people have to re-enter for FearFest. That idea was rejected due to it being a logistical nightmare.

And don't forget those organs were slippery little things too.... Sam liked to keep those lubed up! That's the gift that keeps on giving the whole year!

I can say that the 50' platform is one of the few places, public or behind the scenes, that I have never been in the park.

When chugh43 went with Mrs. Gator, GatorGirl and me back in 2014.

There are quite a few of us Haunt scareactors that did both Haunt and WinterFest last year. I can't think of any that chose to do WinterFest instead of Haunt.

Being one exit south from the park, the only noise I hear is the sound of the fireworks going off at 10:00 every night. My family and I enjoy it. But I would expect that if I moved next to an amusement park that's been there for over 40 years, then yes, there would be noise any time.

^That's right! We had our pictures taken with REAL cameras with REAL pictures that we had to wait to be developed, then wait while those pictures and a little slip of paper that we had signed... in CURSIVE... which kids don't even know how to do anymore and aren't even taught in school anymore... were run though the machine to get LAMINATED! None of this digital-picture-not-even-being-on-the-pass-but-in-the-computer-instead mumbo jumbo!

It was only the 2005 Paramount version of WinterFest that season pass holders had to pay. I remember getting in with my season pass during the original incarnation.

Good, heartwarming article: https://www.ocregister.com/2018/02/07/disneyland-opened-early-wednesday-for-one-person-the-guy-who-designed-space-mountain/

When I was in elementary school, we went on a field trip to KI to ride the monorail. It was my first time being in the park while it was closed; the only thing open was the monorail. IIRC, our school was the only one there but I could very well be mistaken about that. I was going to Hopewell Elementary at the time so this would have been 1st or 2nd grade in 1979-1981 or 4th or 5th grade in 1982 - 1984 (we had switched school districts in 3rd grade). That's a field trip I'll always remember because it was so different to see the park absolutely quiet and I though it was so neat that they would open just for us. Back then, my family only got to visit the park once a year using the tickets that my grandma got from working at KI. In addition to the park tickets, the employees were given tickets to the monorail too; I even received them when I started working at the park in '89, so I rode it every time I went back then. And thanks for citing your sources. I was going to ask for them too because a lot of those incidents sound like disciplinary issues that would have been kept within the park, but I can see how they were probably in the investigative reports that followed.

@Mark4815 I'm in one of the shows too but I've been able to go shopping after I get off. Not sure what time you get off but I clock out around 10:00 each night and the stores on I-Street stay open later than that.

Santa's Toy Factory is my favorite show that KI ever did. As much as I love performing at WinterFest, I still wouldn't mind having one night off so I can see how Tinker's lives up to it. I know a few of the performers in that show and they're very talented. But on the other hand, I don't want to end The Plight Before Christmas' streak... as of last night we've completed 64 of our total 92 scheduled shows.

Sorry Goble, but you can't blame this one on Kinzel. KI charging fees for online orders started in the Paramount years. I know because I was the one that printed the season pass orders back then. The fee then was $2.99 per order (not per item). Of course, that was also before Accesso. Other meats include brisket, pulled pork and sliced hot dogs. Highly recommend the mac & cheese bar! I can't wait until tomorrow when I get to have it again before I have to report to work. Of course, with the weather being what it is today, who knows what's in store for my show tonight. Our stage is covered, but when we're in the wings we aren't covered, then there's the issue of walking out to our stage with our microphones in the rain... So I may get to have the mac & cheese tonight too (and finally watch the indoor shows I've been dying to see)!

There will be one Dec. 26th - 30th. Santa Snoopy will be taking Santa Claus' place that week. https://www.visitkingsisland.com/play/winterfest/attractions/st-nicks-pics

I caught a little bit of their show the other night. They're funny!

Ugh... so many inaccuracies in that video!

I have one of those, but sorry, I'm not willing to part with it.

^ I thought that might have been the case that they were open earlier back then, but I wasn't sure if my memory was playing tricks on me or not. Good to see it wasn't. I agree with you that this year surpasses previous incarnations. As I posted on Facebook last Sunday, "it beats every Winterfest they've ever done before!" I love being a part of it, the only bad thing is I don't get to see everything I want. But that's okay, I'm having a lot of fun!

And shows! Don't forget the shows! There's entertainment pretty much everywhere around the park and everything I've seen and heard has been great. Ugh... They tried that years ago with some haunts opening at 3:00(?) As much fun as working Haunt is, working a haunt 6:00-1:00 puts enough wear on one's body... I'd hate to think about another 3 hours each day! However, I wouldn't mind WinterFest opening earlier. There's so much to do that it takes more than one visit... or maybe it's genius the way it is now: have so much to do to ensure return visits!

There are no early opening times for season pass holders during Winterfest. International Street opens at 4:00 on Saturdays, 4:30 all other days; the rest of the park opens at 5:00 every day. Not sure about the impact of the warm temperatures on ice skating, but it was about this warm last week and they were still skating; from what I understand there's a chilling system under the ice so impact should be minimal.

I play Wayne Deer in The Plight Before Christmas (pictured below in the engineer outfit thanks to Magenta Lizard). Thanks! It's a fun show and I'm extremely proud to be involved in WinterFest in such a way. I love it when the audiences get involved, and there are so many spots in our show for them to do so! In the immortal words of my college band director, Dr. Jack Liles, "Where the hell are all the tubas?" But seriously, even without a tuba, Blitzen's Brass Band sounds great. Is it the cactus that's angry, or is it the ornament that is being stuck by the cactus that's angry? "When you live in a place like Dry Gulch *cough* you gotta make due," and I'm sure the cactus wasn't too happy about being plucked out of the desert only to get just one more ornament than Charlie Brown's Christmas tree...

Only 24 hours to go!!!