CoastersNSich

Walk-on-weekends. Walking past all those full queues at The Beast on a really hot Saturday... PRICELESS!

Bee. And. Emm.

I too voted for Coney Mall, although I would have said "most/all of the park" if it were an option. The fading/peeling paint, crumbling surfaces and incosistency throughout the park is a problem. Oktobertfest practically doesn't exist anymore - there's only one ride with something close to the theme, and there's no German food anymore.

I wouldn't call this poll "pointless" for one, in that many are upset with the removal. There are a wide variety of emotions about this event. I can tell you there are non-enthusiasts who are disappointed with this decision as well. I, however, will still be coming back a lot next year. Yes, I'm angry that the only snappable flyers are being taken out, but it isn't going to stop me from going to ride - it's the coasters like Beast, SOB, Racer, Vortex, FOF, etc. that made PKI as one of my favorite places to be (and for a short time, to work at). I definitely agree with AZ Kinda Guy that any real PKI fan just can't quit cold because of a flat ride being removed. I will disagree with some that it's just a plain old flat that could be found at any carnival, fair, or little park. How many of you have found a set of flyers that are much better than PKI's?

Now that Paramount has decided to move Flying Eagles from Kings Island to Carowinds, how often will you visit the park with the void?

I chose Cedar Point as my favorite: they just have one of the best steel coaster collections anywhere, and definitely the best in Ohio! PKI is a close second because of its wood and flats (and staff), and being my home park. Geauga Lake is a close third with a good combination of wood and steel. As to LeSourdsville/Americana - I highly doubt it was PKI that did them in. Several different smaller attractions (like Coney Island, Beach Waterpark, Stricker's, etc.) continue to do good business despite PKI, because they are great, lower-cost, more relaxed, and smaller alternatives. IMO, Lesourdsville became its own enemy. A lack of good new attractions, as well as poor management, martketing all combined to keep people away. I think that if they adopted PKI's strategy (albeit on a smaller scale), they may have succeeded. Not to mention an owner who doesn't really know what he's doing...

Great trip you had. My review: SFGAm is definitely my favorite Six Flags park - and definitely one of the best overall parks. It has one of the best coaster collections out there - and a better steel collection than PKI's IMO - including 4 great B&M installations! Viper is also an excellent woodie with the air and lateral combos! American Eagle is a pretty good racer as well. Deja Vu may not be the best coaster there, but if your're there and it's up and running, get in line, it's worth a ride. SFGAm has some great non-coaster, non-thrill rides, like a gyro tower, double deck carousel, train, and even an IMAX theatre! Whizzer is also not to be missed, as it is now a rare Schwarzkopf model, and is a great ride for the family. In fact, it was almost removed in 2002 to make way for the Superman flyer (they instead chose to take out the big but painful Arrow looper, Shockwave). This year, they had an update of their New Orleans section, with 4 new rides, including a spinning mouse. My tips: I'd definitely try to get a hotel in advance, even if you book by phone or online the day of your arrival. Getting to the area all tired after a long day at the park (or driving after a long work day) without a reservation can be a pain in the ass, especially if you have to settle for a dump, or worse, your car. This year, I tried priceline.com, and ended up getting the Hampton Inn for only about $40/night. The deluxe hot continental breakfast was a nice touch there, as it saved me time and money on my trip. Also, if you've got some time, I'd highly recommend some sight-seeing in downtown Chicago. Even if you've only got a few hours, Sears Tower is a great place to see it all, from floor 103. Next year, SFGAm will FINALLY be adding a Hurricane Harbor water park, so I'd highly recommend a trip to Chicago and SFGAm next year!

The Beast. After 25 years, it's still an excellent ride... even though other parks have built better coasters since then, IMO. The crew over the last couple year just rocks! My second favorite is Vortex, it's still a fun, hi-cap ride, and the inversions are just the right level of intensity.

I had to go with the Flying Eagles because of the rider control, being able to snap the cables, and scaring the "babies" and other baby like peeps out of line. For major flat, by far it's Delirium. I find it to the best flat (outside of eagles) anywhwere.

From what I remember when I used to work there, employees who were enjoying the park off-duty were not supposed to have any part of park-issued wardrobe on. They were also discouraged from having conversations with on-duty associates while off duty. But I find Carowinds' new policy to be stupid. Isn't that one of the reasons why some people choose to work there. After all, the pay isn't the greatest. Taking away the major perk isn't going to help in terms of retention.

Because I often go to PKI and other parks alone, I usually wear cargo-style pants and shorts so I can keep everything, including my expensive digital camera, cell phone, my wallet, and other stuff in my pockets. Sometimes I can even squeeze a hat in my large cargo pockets. PKI is one of the more "liberal" parks when it comes to leaving articles in the station. They'll let you leave just about anything, except purses, wallets, and anything with money. However, Cedar Point, for example, is more strict because they won't let you leave anything in the station - this reduces the park's liability even further, even though they weren't resopnsible for loose articles in the first place. This is one reason why several rides at CP have lockers near them, so guests can store their bags and other valuables for $1 or less per use.

I think that had you posted this on some other boards, it would be ripped apart. and closed.. In my opinion, however, I definitely agree with you, Tanner. One thing that CP does that puts just about everyone at ease is that they put a greeter in front of every roller coaster, as well as other major rides that are bound to have long lines. This is so they can check height at the beginning of the line, so the ride ops in the station don't have to, possibly wrecking the capacity. This is one reason why CP has been among the best in capacity. This is one thing PKI needs to do, especially at The Racer. Almost every time I've been there, they've had to hold dispatch to check someone's height, when they could have done so at the entrance. This is also one of the reasons why it's been harder for the crews to race the trains. When it comes to spiels, CP is definitely tops. They either have recorded spiels, or at some rides, like Magnum, Raptor, Gemini and Mantis, they put the headset mic on one of the floor ops. Back to the PKi thing, they could definitely go to recorded spiels that instruct people how to enter the ride, restrain themselves, rules to follow, and how to exit the ride. I know how hiring more staff to place as greeters and improving the spiel communication system will cost PKI more money, but won't that help people feel more comfortable, and probably keep guests in the park, probably buying more stuff, and coming back?

I saw that now if you buy a one-day ticket at the park, they will give you a second day for free. The days do not have to be consecutive, meaning that the "second day" can be any public operating day of the season. However, that ticket has to be used for the same person. If you plan on visiting two days, go with the regular ticket. If not I'd use some of the other discounts out there, like the print-at-home for $32.99 at pki.com, or specially marked Coke cans for $5 off.

Q: Is the original Eiffel Tower in Paris France taller than this one? A: Did I just say "One-third scale replica?" Q: Will you get wet on this ride? A: 1. Check the exit and see if the clothes of the people getting off are wet. 2. Big splash at the bottom of the drop. 3. Signs located in the queue line. Q: My daughter's head isn't above the red tape. Even if I'm about to cuss you out, and we drove 5 hours, can she still ride? A: No, the height rule will be strictly enforced.

Doesn't a park in California, also a Paramount park, have a similar ride called "Celebration Swings?" Another funny thing about Zephyr, after getting off the Days of Thuder side of Action Theater on Memorial Day, is when the ride op said "Enjoy the rest of your day at Paramount's Kings Island, home of the Zephyr!"

More on Elder: The Panthers' only loss was to Indianapolis Warren Central. They did, however go on to win the Division I state championship in Canton. Yes, even the best lose a game here and there.

Happy 21st! Fur... Tom A.

"I got wet on Congo Falls!" "Why haven't they made Top Gun longer?" "They didn't tell me that the Drop Zone was going to drop without warning!"

My solution to this issue: Just give the Gold Passholders the option to do this any day once each month. They should just have their pass taken to the booths, scan it, and the system will note that their allowance for BFFD that month has been used. But then again, there are those procrastinators out there...

Today, I went just to do Boomerang Bay. This was my first opportunity to actually do all the slides and attractions. I did Coolangatta Racer and Tasmanian Typhoon 4 times each. Both are very exciting, and because of my larger size, I went faster and higher than some did! Overall, they kept about everything I liked about Water Works, added new things, and simply made it much better. Parked near the Pass entrance, arrived around 11 a.m., light amount of people. Had lunch there (BLT Wrap and some beer). By 3pm, place was getting crowded (like the rest of PKI), so I left just before 3:30. And remember, Boomerang Bay is free with park admission, whether or not you have a season pass! You're just getting more for your money. Tom, who plans on being at walkback Monday morning.

Yeah STYX!

The late John Ritter rode The Beast several years back. I have also seen numerous local news celebrities on rides. A couple of them from Channel 12 WKRC: anchorman Dave Buchell and meteorologist Tim Hedrick. I think I even saw Melanie Griffith get off The Beast on GE day in '93.

I'll admit that I like Skyline and Gold Star equally, but when I get pizza in or outside PKI, it's always from LaRosa's - it's Cincinnati's pizza.

As annoying as it is, it's there for profit. It's those families and couples that are going to go and buy those photos, not high school/college students, nor frequent visitors like some passholders or coaster enthusiasts. When it comes to guests who are walking alone or in groups of two or three of the same gender, especially men (i.e. enthusiasts), those people should really be left alone. They don't really care to buy a photo taken in front of a building, nor want to waste the minute to have it taken. As for "making a beeline for the bathroom," use caution if you need to use the john in the Congo section at PKD. I hear those people lurk in ambush...