way29

It was an interesting day to say the least at Kings Island today. I am a regular season pass holder & a Marine Veteran who just wanted to spend a fun evening with my wife and 2 young daughters. After parking a young man about 20 years my junior (I am 50) came running up to me, cussing and wanting to start a fist fight with me over cutting him off in the entrance line, which I am sorry if I did, but he was very angry, very aggressive, and even threw off his jacket ready to fight me in the parking lot. My youngest daughter started crying so I decided to get this jerk out of our way and accepted his challenge, to which he backed down and said I was lucky I had my kids with me. As my adrenaline wore down, and upon going through security, the "guard" told me that I had to remove my belt and give it to him and go back through the scanner. I told him that was not going to happen and he could use his wand. He told me that he is not really allowed to use the wand (the one that he had in his hand) and then scanned me anyhow and let me pass. We then went to get our ice skating passes and of course they didn't have my shoe size but oh well, I chose the next size bigger. In the end, my daughters, wife and I had a good time at Kings Island but not because of the staff or other visitors, but because I chose that we were going to have a good time, and we did.

As always opening day at Kings Island was a pleasure. The weather was nice, the crowds weren't to bad, and the new and even seasoned Kings Island employees were cheerful. They seemed happy to be doing their jobs, laughing and giving high five to kids, and making everyone feel welcome, the way an amusement park should be run. Of course this all will change as their experience becomes a job and visitors become burdens and that's why I always try to plan my Kings Island trips early in the year. Here is an example of what I mean. Beginning of the year at the Cotton Candy Stand. Me: Hi, can I have 2 cotton candies and a bottle of water ? KI: Sure, just a sec, and that will be $10.77 Me: Here you go, handing over a $20 KI: Here are your 2 cotton candies, and a water, and your change, and have a great day at Kings Island. Mid Year at the Cotton Candy Stand. Me: Hi, can I have 2 cotton candies and a bottle of water ? KI: I don't have no cotton candy Me: Isn't this a cotton candy stand KI: I have popcorn and (gets in a conversation with coworker and forgets about customer) Me: OK can I have 2 popcorns KI: Ten Fifty Me: Here you go, handing over $20 KI: (chats with coworkers) Me: (waits patently) KI: Hands me 1 popcorn and no change Me: (waits for other popcorn and water) KI: (chats with coworkers then takes order from next customer) Me: Can I please have my other popcorn and water ? KI: Seven Dollar Me: I already paid you for 2 popcorns and a water and only got 1 popcorn KI: (rolls eyes) gets a popcorn and hands it to me Me: Thanks, can I have my water KI: (stares at me blankly then goes and gets a water and hands it to me) Me: Thanks KI: (i think he mumbled go f*ck yourself) Me: (next time i will bring my own snacks and beverages) End of the Year at the Cotton Candy Stand. Me: (walking up to the cotton candy stand since i forgot my own snacks and beverages) KI: CLOSED

I took off a day of work on May 18th 2011 and went to Kings Island with my brother. Best trip ever. NO LINES on any of the rides from 10am clear up until closing time at 8pm.

About our 2nd trip to Kings Island this year. We came in a group of 7 (5 adults and 2 children) on Sunday 5/8/2011. It was a very nice trip overall. We brought my mother and my wife's mother for Mothers day and they loved it. I spent over $500 in the park on this trip. $80 of it was at the buffet where the hostess said "I ain't getting drinks for all these people" but luckily the other hostess did, which actually I only asked her to show us to a table and told her we could get our own drinks. Later on when ordering 2 root beer floats, the girl taking my ordered asked if I knew what time it was after I ordered. I told her 6:30. She said sorry, I'm supposed to get off at 6:30, you'll have to go to another line. And, so it has started. The magic of Opening day is over. Next weekend we will bring our own lunch to eat in our car in the parking lot.

The one complaint I do have with opening day, and its not really Kings Islands fault, but more the parents fault of the teenage girls who cut in line in front of us, and as usual no one says anything, but it caused me and my daughter to be on the ride ahead of my wife and my other daughter so I pointed this out to the line jumper in a nice way I thought. Her response was "So what, too bad, and deal with it" and actually started yelling at me asking me what I was going to do about it. A KI employee saw the commotion and came over to ask what was going on. The girl admitted that she cut in line, but he wasn't prepared or didn't want to deal with it either so he just walked away. She got her way, and it dint't really affect me too much. we just let a few riders behind us go ahead so my family could all ride together. The only reason I am posting this is in the hopes that some parents will take charge of their kids instead of letting their kids take charge of them and in turn making their kids think they can do whatever they want because today that is exactly what happened, this girl did what she wanted with no consequence. Someday that is going to get her into trouble.

My family has been a season pass holder for several years and we really enjoy taking our young girls to Kings Island as much as they enjoy riding the rides. This was the first year ever that we went on opening day and it was awesome. The lines weren't too bad and the Kings Island employees were extremely friendly and ambitious. In fact I have never seen them this cheerful but now looking back I have noticed that as the season goes on the KI employees do seem to get less ambitious if not down right rude by the end of the season and now it makes sense. They probably get tired of customers, get tired of their bosses or tired of whatever, or maybe they realize they are actually working a real job. This isn't a complaint by any means, just an observation. I probably spent around $300 in the park today. As the year goes on I tend to spend less and less each visit, and it's mostly because of the attitude of the KI employees. Today, I don't know how many times we were greeted with "Welcome to Kings Island" and "Have a Great Day" right down to when we were leaving I was told "Thanks for coming, have a safe trip home" when turning in our rented stroller. The KI staff interacted with our children which they loved and overall we felt like we were welcome guests. Now rewind to August or September of last year or any of the end of the season in the past years and the service usually goes more along the lines of "Could I get a straw with my drinks please" KI employee rolls eyes and sighs "We aint got no straws, NEXT". Like I said, this isn't a complaint, just an observation on what the Kings Island season looks to me, a regular gold pass holder, and hopefully it can help KI management find a way to extend that great opening day KI employee enthusiasm to last throughout the season to keep their visitors happier and their profits higher.

To the adult line jumpers in Nickelodeon Universe (the kids section) at Kings Island or any amusement park, and especially to the lady who tried to convince her unwilling husband and kids to line jump at Kings Island Nickelodeon Universe. Let me start by saying this. Your kids learn not only by what you tell them what is right and wrong but also by what you do. It is amazing to me how many parents at amusement parks encourage their kids to run in front of other kids to beat them to the best seat once the gate opens for a ride. I wont even get into that here. Instead I want to comment on adults themselves cutting in line in front of little kids, even 2 year olds. While walking up to the line for Little Bills Roller Coaster at Kings Island with my 2 year old daughter, a lady pushed past us and several other riders to get in front of us in the line. Unfortunately her husband and their other kids were not as quick and they found themselves separated by about 3 other groups of riders. The dad and other kids were directly behind be and my daughter. Had he walked his kids past me to meet his wife without saying a word or even asked if he could pass us to meet his family then I wouldn't have thought anything about it. Instead he stood in line behind us, as to set a good example for his children and asked his wife to come back and join him. She said NO and ordered him to come up to her. He said that he didnt want to cut in front of anyone. She replied with who cares, no one here cares, and again ordered him to move forward. He asked her again just to come back and join him. At this point I felt a little sorry for the dad and as I watched him walk past me, then the next group of people, and the next group of people, and as I looked at the faces of not only the kids she made him pass, but also the parents who weren't going to say anything, I decided to take a stance. I said "Excuse me. I care." directly to him. He laughed as though I was kidding. So I said, "No, really. I care if you cut in line." He then grabbed the kids he brought forward and headed back behind me, and as he passed me he said "Sorry about that." but to save face with his wife he then yelled back up to her "Apparently this guy has a problem with it." She looked directly at me and said "You gotta be kidding me." I said "No. I am trying to teach my daughter right from wrong and even she at 2 years old knows she has to wait in line like everyone else." Now, that wasnt really the case. Like I said, I wouldnt have had a problem with a husband and his kids meeting his wife further up the line, except this lady was a real ***** not only to her husband but also to everyone in line and also her own kids, and since her husband wasnt going to stand up to her, I did. At this point you would think the lady would go back to the rest of her family so they could ride together, but she didnt, not for at least 10 minutes of her pointing and mouthing her husband to move forward and the more he refused, or maybe he wasnt paying attention to her, but i was, the madder she got, until finally she moved back to his position behind me. This is where the subtle comments started. First with the groups in front of me calling her an evil ***** and even one of them thanking me for taking a stand, to her comments behind me such as "This is supposed to be a fun place but it isnt because of jerks like him." She kept on commenting what a jerk I was, to her husband and kids, but I never acknowledged her. Finally her husband got tired of it and said "lets go somewhere else." and they did. In the end I hope that 1. their kids had fun. 2. that i ****ed her off and that she is still fuming about it. and 3. that her husband learned to stick up for himself and their kids and for whats right.