afkifan

Hi, I don't know if this is the place, but I just wanted to post a bit about my visit on 6/20. I thought the crowds were rather light. I haven't been in a couple of years, but the lines seemed very manageable. We were able to get through pretty much everything we wanted to do with ease and without waiting in any long lines. The only exceptions being Firehawk and FoF which was still closed. Banshee was amazing. I think I have a new favorite. I used to go to KI several times each year, but I've grown up and have responsibilities now and don't live close enough for a quick stop by the park. So I get there maybe once every couple of years. The last couple of times I went Vortex was down. I was excited to ride it on Friday, but I've got one question for everyone... Is it that much rougher now than it used to be or am I just getting old???? I mean, I know I'm older than I used to be, but I rode Vortex and The Beast back to back and The Beast felt like I was riding on a cushion of air after that! The LaRosa's pizza in the Festhaus did not taste like LaRosa's pizza. I think that might have been the worst pizza I've ever had. I realize it is amusement park food, but when I'm looking forward to some LaRosa's and paying that much money, I expect it to at least be better than a doughy, flavorless piece of cardboard. When we ate dinner at the Reds Grille later in the day and got a much better meal for the same price, that really made me upset about my lunch. Lunch for 4 at Festhaus = $40. Dinner for 4 at Reds Grille = $46, including a beer. I'm proud to say that my 4 year old son looks like he's going to be my coaster buddy soon. He was only tall enough to ride Woodstock Express, but he loved it. It was a walk on and I think we probably rode it 8 or 10 times. We rode front row, back row and everywhere in between. He's still talking about getting to ride a "big" roller coaster. All in all, it was a great day, despite the rain shower. It seemed to help cool things down and maybe kept some of the crowds away. We'll definitely make an effort to get back for a day again next year, especially if the kids are tall enough to do more.

I can see that working... I mean as long as they'd use some flexibility and common sense. You can't expect everyone to get every single number in exact order, but if there are 1 or 2 numbers that suddenly are 100 or 200 after anything else around them in line, you know they cut. Otherwise, if you give up your spot to go back to friends farther back in line, you've got a number that indicates your turn came before those around you, so they should recognize that and allow you to ride. I know this is generalizing too much. Someone will always find a way to abuse any system, but on paper that would seem to make sense. Something like that could require some ride op discretion, which could in turn lead to inconsistency though. There's just no perfect answer.

Yeah... I kind of meant that sarcastically. Just doesn't translate well in written form.

Just going by what the media tells me. They can't be wrong. Can they????

FOF has been on fire more than twice. I remember standing in line probably 10 - 15 years ago when some kid lit a park map on fire with a lighter. Where was CNN when that happened????

Thanks. I figured it would be picking up by that point in time now that all the schools are out. This is the day we can go, so we'll just deal with whatever the crowds and weather give us. I'm just hoping to get there and hit Banshee then maybe FoF or Diamondback, then we'll take it as it comes. We're going to have a 2 year old and 4 year old with us so I'm sure we'll spend quite a bit of time in Planet Snoopy. We'll definitely make use of the parent swap pass. If things work out I might try to hit up a few rides later in the day like The Bat, Invertigo, Adventure Express, etc, but I really want to try to at least do The Vortex and The Beast at some point later in the day. I grew up on those 2 coasters and a day at KI isn't complete without them!

Hey all, It has been a couple of years since I've managed to make it to KI. I've looked around a few of the wait times threads, but just wondered if some of you who go more frequently might be able to give me an idea how crowded things might be this Friday (June 20). That's the day we're going to be able to go, regardless, but just trying to get an idea of what to expect. Thanks!

I still call it The Beastie! Woodstock Express back to its original name, The Scooby Doo Coaster. Touche

Kind of like the end of the ride itself. I still enjoy that ride. It will never be a great coaster, but it could be much better with some improved theming. Seeing this huge Flight of Fear building doesn't do much for the jungle/adventure theme of the ride.

I don't know about the rules/laws etc when it comes to them taking the phone away. I could see verifying that it is secure though. I will say this... I was sitting behind someone TALKING on the phone on Adventure Express yesterday. I kind of wish they had taken his phone away.

I still call it The Beastie!

Diamondback broke down about an hour after park opening... we were in the station waiting to board. They had an issue with a safety light coming on saying there was a problem with the latching system. I don't know what time they had it back up and running, but I do know that shortly after everything else reopened after the weather closed rides down, Diamondback was back up and running and it appeared to be running the rest of the day. We rode it at about 6:30. Also, I don't know about Flight Deck, but we had just gotten off before they closed it for the weather. We came back later in the day (around 8) and rode it again, so if it was down, it must not have been for too long. The weather closure might have been what she meant. They had just about everything down for about a couple of hours due to thunder/lighning in the area.

I was there yesterday, and honestly I don't think the Fast Lane had a huge impact on things. They shut down for maybe a couple of hours due to weather, but after they reopened everything we headed back to Beast. The wait was maybe 25 minutes and you could see the Fast Lane queue all the way in. I only saw 4 people enter that line. Around 6 pm we headed over to Diamondback for what was about a 40 minute wait. I did notice several people going into the Fast Lane, but in the 40 min it wasn't any more than maybe 20 people. The line never stopped moving and while I might have gotten on 1 train later than I might have otherwise, I don't think it had a huge impact on the standby line. That said, with the Saturday crowds yesterday, lines were long, but we were able to get through everything we wanted to do without it. I don't really see the benefit of paying for it in Kings Island. The only ride we didn't hit that we wanted was Flight of Fear and that was due to the fact that the line was all the way outside when they closed everything else, and it never really much shorter when we came back later to check. I did see some people doing re-rides with Fast Lane, but they were forced to leave the ride and re-enter the queue. Yes, it is a much shorter wait and you could potentially ride several times in an hour, but you'd have to wait a few trains in between. My brother in law did make the comment though that it might be fun to spend the 50 bucks sometime though just to see how many times we could ride Diamondback in the 7 hours.

Wow, quite a goal. Good luck! I'm going for the first time this year tomorrow. Anybody have any idea how long the lines have been running for WindSeeker on Saturdays?

Thanks for the welcome! I highly doubt we will spend the money to get it... there will be a group of 8 adults, in addition to my young son who will basically only be able to ride a few things in Planet Snoopy. I was just trying to make the point that I can understand there are scenarios where this could be seen as a valuable tool. Especially when US charges more than that for a pass that only allowed 1 ride per attraction. With the heat and potential crowds this Saturday, we are going to try to just take it easy and do what we can. I am definitely a thrill ride junkie though so we will be getting there early and do as many as possible before the lines start getting too backed up. I sadly haven't been to KI in a few years, so I'm sure whatever we run into will be an entirely different experience than what I have been used to, but I will definitely keep an open mind and post back with my thoughts. As I've said, I've used the Universal system back when it was free to everyone and I've been there since they started charging for it both as a purchaser and a standby rider, and I've also got experience with Disney's system, so I should at least be able to compare between those 3 different programs. Two of the individuals going with us are KI pass holders so I'll try to pick their brains a little bit and see what they think of it as well.

I agree... I used their pass once when we just had 1 day to get through both US and IoA about 3 years ago. If you only have a day, have to be there on a crowded day and want to make it through everything, it does have some value. I'm not sure how I feel about the unlimited use for 7 hours factor of the one that is being implemented at KI, but it is new, and hopefully there will be a learning curve and tweaks will be made if this is something they decide to keep. I'll be honest, when I saw this come out, I seriously considered paying the $50 being that I'll be there on a Saturday and probably on my only trip of the season. I probably won't buy it, but I think if you have 1 day to go and it is crowded $50 might not be that bad of a deal to ensure short waits to get through everything.

Lucky me! I'm unfortunate enough that what will likely be my only trip to KI this year, will be the particular sweltering hot Saturday that is the first one with this new system in place. I won't be able to compare to how things were earlier in the season, but I'll keep my eyes open and see how things are moving.

Thank you all for the quick responses. I typically wear cargo shorts at the parks so I can stuff things in the pockets and fasten them closed. I will make sure keys and anything loose that could get out is left off the ride though. Haven't decided if I'll wear flip flops or not yet, but just wondered how it worked. It's gonna be a hot one Saturday so I'm probably leaning that direction at this point. Dustin, sorry to add questions to your thread, but I figured it made more sense than to start an entire new one. Have a great time!

If I may add to the list of questions from KI enthusiasts who have been away for a while, I'm planning to go this weekend for the first time in a few years so I'm going to get to experience some "new" rides. I had someone I work with tell me that to ride Firehawk, you are not allowed on the ride with anything at all in your pockets... I've been looking for some kind of confrimation of this, but haven't been able to find anything. Is it true? Also, are you required to keep shoes on while riding Firehawk, or is there anyplace you can stash flip flops while you ride? I've done suspended coasters and others before and managed, but I've never ridden anything like Firehawk and I'm trying to figure out the logistics of how to pack away sunglasses, flip flops, etc to ride it. I know, simple noob question, but I'd appreciate any help! We're looking forward to it and it will be my yearh and a half old son's first trip to a park. While he won't be able to ride much, we just want to see how he handles the crowds and the few rides he can get on. We have a group of 6 adults so we can take turns riding. I've heard there is a rider swap available, but again, I can't seem to find any details about it. Can anyone give me any insight on how it works. I appreciate any feedback!

I really, really hope it is back in business by Saturday (although I'm not holding my breath). I haven't been to KI in probably 4 or 5 years, and finally have a chance to get there this Saturday. I'm really looking forward to getting to ride the new rides I haven't been able to enjoy yet, but I'm not sure it will feel like a complete visit to KI without a ride on The Vortex. Oh, well, I'm sure we'll have fun either way. Just have to stay hydrated.