alluna

Yeah, I've had a couple of close calls with kids running around corners. When it was just MagiQuest, you'd see a couple of over zealous kid running through the halls. With Compass Quest, though, they can get downright crazed at the idea of running out of time and need to be reminded to be courteous and to slow down. I even had to pull out my polite-but-I just-might-eat-you preschool teacher voice on one kid who was rushing my son at the check-in station. The time constraints really do add stress to the game for kids who can't really approximate what 10 minutes is. The most well behaved kids had their parents with them, checking the watch together, letting them know how much time was left and helping them find the items. That is when the kids got the most out of it, too, I think, is when they were adventuring as a family.

Can we talk about the silly bands? I mean... really? I bought some of these rubber bracelets for my kids, so I know how much they cost. I saw some that were the same brand I bought...not cheap... all over where change is usually thrown at The Beast queue. A. I'd be mad if my kids begged me for these fad items, then threw them away. B. I'd rather look at quarters.

We came, we saw, we quested. Here is the full review, including pricing and some gripes: http://www.examiner.com/x-20457-Dayton-Family-Travel-Examiner~y2010m7d22-Compass-Quest-At-Great-Wolf-Lodge

Thanks Purplehaze. I guess we'll find out in about half an hour or so!

In this vein of thought, are we allowed to bring laptops in? Would I get stopped by security? I am thinking of taking my kids to Boomerang Bay during the day while I get some work done that I don't need WiFi for. It would be nice to let them get some exercise while I'm working instead of sitting at home. I can understand that some people prefer not to even bring cellphones in, but we have season passes and hitting up the waterpark during the week would be really nice for my kids. If only I could get some work done at the same time!

Our family makes Adventure Express our first coaster of the visit. It's tradition! Last Tuesday, it wasn't open for operation. We realized just how much we love it.

Great Wolf Lodge already has one of these (everyone calls it the toilet bowl). I don't think KI will be getting one... EDIT: Also, it is just as awesome as you think it is.

Yes and yes. We always get a Dining Plan when we go to Disney, and I know that the drinks and food are averaging out to be pretty cheap... and the sit-down spots are gourmet food~!! Since pass holders at KI are the ones that have figured out how to save money on daily visits, they should definitely be given some sort of perk that prevents them from eating at Taco Bell. ...a better discount than cheap funnel cakes before 5 pm. But here we are comparing KI to WDW again...

For locals I'm going to try to emphasize that, unlike the waterpark, you can go in to play MagiQuest without getting a room for the night. We will be staying the night, but it's my birthday stay, so blowing money is something we've planned for this time. I will also be interviewing the Aquatics Director this time around. Did you talk to him on your tour? I'm really excited to get a behind-the-scenes look at the waterpark, but I'm also wondering if it will have anything involved that will trigger megalophobia. Like big machines in a room. Yikes.

Yes, I think once you see them, you start to notice them more. Like when you buy a certain car, then start seeing them all over the road.

Okay, it doesn't look like I'm getting any bites, here, so I'm going to guess that I'll have to be extra thorough with my report. I'll try to get all the prices run down when we are there tomorrow... and see if it is worth it. Hopefully it isn't too expensive, because I know a GWL visit is a budget stretch in the first place.

I laugh because my kids dance down Coney Mall singing 'Six dollar six innnnnnch' instead of the 'Five dollar foot long' song. They know it's a crazy price, so they've made up a song to make fun of it. It's funny. We are parking lot eaters, but will sometimes buy a meal in the park, or buy a pop in our Diamondback cup to share among the family (That's a HUGE cup, and pop is just liquid candy, anyway). For the record, when I posted up my tips for having a cheap day at KI, I was criticized on this board for suggesting to my readers that they don't eat full meals in the park. I was told that the park is going to go under if people like me keep posting those kinds of ideas. But it isn't a new idea. Parents are obviously hip to the fact that the food is expensive, so they don't, say, play arcade games that day to make up the difference, or go out to the parking lot to eat. It doesn't take long to put 2 and 2 together. I never feel like crying when my kids beg me for stuff. I was a prechool teacher. Whining and begging = spoiled kids that get turned down. I took them to KI for gods sake. If mom says order a water, you're ordering a water. The end. They'll survive, and there happens to be a huge viking ship down the street that will make them forget all about a darn root beer. I am with you on the food prices, Terp, but not on the bratty kids. Kids should appreciate that you took them to KI in the first place. Nope. Maybe the reasoning on KI's part is that they are a destination, so the average visitor isn't there on a 'regular basis'. The average visitor may be the 'one-shot' visitor. The stranger in a strange land that is trapped in the park and isn't hip to ordering a cup of ice water. The season pass holders and locals are a different animal than, say, a mom from Tennessee. If I traveled to TN with the idea that my family would spend a day at a theme park... then, yes, I would be disappointed in the food prices. In fact, it would probably be the complaint theme of the day. Then the Family Dryer would come along and mock me, too. But my kids aren't spoiled and I know how to research something before I go. Planning our WDW trip was like a second job. This writers article left me confused. Was it about kids growing to fit the rides, or was it about the price of food? It was slap-dash job and without focus. But I have those days, too, so I'll stop harshing on her. One day I'll write a stinker and hope she doesn't find me. Oh, Terpy, that's just silly... or perhaps it is just for parents who are easily defeated? If it came down to buying food at KI and not going at all... people are resourcefull and will figure out a way to go without buying food or anything otherwise overpriced. I would like to believe that the average mom and dad are capable of figuring out a way to make their family weekend happen without nixing it all together over the food prices. I'm sorry kids, the pizza there is just too expensive! I just can't see that. I'm not saying they should have to figure it out. They shouldn't have to. The food should be better, or a hell of a lot cheaper. They shouldn't have to find alternatives...but they will. Agreed. We have stood in line for 15 minutes for a single item. There were two people in front of us. Very quickly a line of more than ten piled up behind us. ------------------ Terpy, your post was so well thought out (IT HAD A SOURCE REFERENCE) that it made my coffee go cold while I answered. My hope is that one day, the KI execs will realize that they are not making a lot of food sales. They will then turn to look out their window at the parking lot full of camp chairs butted up against the backs of mini vans. Eventually it will click. Until then, we are singing the Six Dollar Six Inch song all the way to the arcade, where we shall put $6 in the Deal or No Deal machine before heading out to the parking lot for a snack.

What camera setting is best for taking photos of the Starlight? I have a new camera that doesn't have too many settings and I can never get the photos to come out right.

I agree on the overpriced food. Like the $6 six inch instead of a $5 footlong at the Subway in Coney Island. Gotta laugh at that one.

Hrm. I think it was sloppy, but I'm hoping it was a blog post... not a bonafide article. The focus of this story is first, all about the height of her kids. It's a cute way to intro the story, but come on. Then she says she was worried there wouldn't be enough for them to do, even after, 5 paragraphs later, discovering how tall they were. Was she unable to log onto the KI site? It is quite possible to know every single ride your kid can fit on before leaving the house. The comparison to Coney is absurd. She didn't say anything about the value of Boomerang Bay for the kids. There is so much for kids to do there. We spend hours alone running under that giant dumping bucket. Then she talks price. Or tries to. If your family is on budget, then why are you eating full meals in the park, buying the photos, using the family dryer and getting the faces painted? Is there no way for this woman to avoid spending money on things that she deems overpriced? I think that the typical family doesn't do it all in one visit. Either I buy everyone a round of ice cream, or I stand in the family dryer and get the kids faces painted. It's give and take at a park, just like in real life. Of course, if I spent money on everything in sight, I'd be complaining about prices, too! I just find it hard to believe that they went here with saving money in mind, then went ahead and spent money on whatever they wanted. Common sense would dictate that you do what you can afford, which is what everyone else in the park is doing. Nobody sweeps through the park buying up all their ride photos, getting their faces painted (I'm a pro face painter, those are fair prices, btw), the whole nine yards unless they aren't concerned with a budget.It sounds to me like she had plenty of money to burn, but tried to relate the article to an audience that might not. I think what I really didn't like was that it ended on a sour note with me. Why not mention the benefits of getting two parks for one price? What about cheaper meal options than sitting down for burgers and fries? Did she mention the fireworks show? The Starlight experience? I really wish that this writer would have done her homework before visiting the park. It isn't very difficult to find a lot of tips online (some of which I've put up there myself) on how to save money if you are visiting the park while spending conservatively. She could have followed up her cost complaints with lots of juicy tips on how the average park goer from TN could save money along the way....

:lol: That was good. :lol: I wonder if they save up enough box tops, they'll be able to get a decoder ring for the repair instructions.

Agreed! SOB has a beautiful structure? ...hmm... Perhaps if one's idea of structural beauty is a poorly made structure that prevents the coaster from operating... It just strikes me as funny because the structure is the whole problem, there.

Our elementary/middle school-aged kids are big MagiQuest fans, but after visiting the lodge a few times, they were getting, well, bored of the same game. We are hitting GWL in a couple weeks, where they will now have the new Compass Quest addition to the game. I'm guessing there is a new piece of equipment to buy (hopefully just the compass) and it's probably ten bucks like the wands. Has anyone done it yet? Thoughts? Prices?

Actually, both of those are nothing compared to Disneyland Paris' Phantom Manor: This is the best I could find. DLP's is very different as the second half does a complete 180 from what the stateside (and even the Asian) Mansions have. Instead of going through a graveyard and ending from there, Manor actually has you falling into an open grave and traversing underground catacombs before venturing through the underground town of Boot Hill (of which sank into the ground after a major earthquake). Wow, after watching that video.. I really want to go see Disneyland Paris. It looks a thousand times creepier than the WDW HM.

It has been my wish for some years to start a clothes line that makes similar pants to squelch this trend. Mine would read such combative gems as 'Turd', 'Fart' and 'Poop' in fancy pink script across the butt.

I love these pretzels! We visited the park quite a few times before memorial day and I always went by the shop, hoping to get one. They were never open when we went, I guess they wait until closer to the summer season to open. My kids made fun of me constantly for always being disappointed for not getting a pretzel, shaking my fist at the giant pretzel overhead. So much that my son texted me when he went with his dad one weekend just to let me know that my pretzels were finally available. After he had one, then he understood.

Wow, I would get so sick on that! Thanks for sharing the video, I love old ride videos.

I am 29 and if I were one of the hard working ride ops on this board, I'd raise my eyebrow at that one. My son is 12 and knows so much more Kings Island trivia that I will never know or care about. Just a heads-up that there are ride ops that frequent this board that could very well be 18 years old and know all about the ride... Just sayin. I wish you had a more knowledgeable crew when you needed one, but young workers can be coaster aficionados, too.

Wow, Is Boomerang Bay really that bad? I think it's just fine, really, and you can get in there for the same price as the rest of KI. It has enough slides to keep my family busy. I just don't see what's wrong with it besides a lack of shade and that merciless concrete. I like it better than The Beach, which seems kinda weird and run down these days. Maybe it's just me.

The sign looks pretty awesome! I love to see more atmosphere in the park, even though all my kids are nearly too old for the PS area these days. Thanks for posting the pic!