Kings Island's 5@5 Q&A Thread

[gigacoaster2k]

^ So do you carry the bag with you, or get a locker?

BTW, your items make complete sense.

Also, I am glad to hear you wear short shorts. Big boy cargos would not do you justice.

I just carry the bag with me, I usually don't go out of my way to ride FH or FOF so I usually don't get the lockers. But if it's say, 5 pm and starting to get cooler, I'll go back to the car and dump everything I don't need. I hate carrying a bag full of stuff I'm not going to use for the rest of the day.

[coaster_junky]

every now and then i'll bring a drawstring bag to an amusement park with me, but i usually bring it in case anyone that's with me gets tired of carrying around something they can just shove it in there, plus if we ever go on a water ride it makes a great spot for electronics, wallets, and other things that you don't want to get wet.

[TH13TEEN]

^ Browntggrr, My mom loves to check in... I have a pretty big cell and I don't like the feeling my cell gives me in my pocket. It's not like we carry around a bag on our backs for looks. I am forced to even bring band-aids because I have a blood issue. I mean little things sometimes. Like Giga said also girls like to bring along brushes jackets you name it. My sister would bring her bathroom if possible. Plus we teenagers worry about "looks" I don't know why but we do. SO that is my complicated anwser for the day.

[gigacoaster2k]

Like Giga said also girls like to bring along brushes jackets you name it. My sister would bring her bathroom if possible.

LOL, I don't bring a brush. I just deal with coaster hair.. I'm a ride warrior, not a princess. If I do decide to wear makeup, I make sure it's waterproof to last through the day (I have Clinique eyeliner that stayed on even after riding DB in a downpour!). I'd rather spend my time running to DB than constantly worrying about my appearance.. it's an amusement park, not a catwalk.

I just bring necessary items: a hoodie, deodorant, sunscreen, phone, camera, Blistex, season pass, debit card, gum, contact rewetting drops, sunglasses, and a little medicine. I also bring a granola bar sometimes, and I don't go anywhere without my Starburst! I also bring a sealed Ziploc bag if it starts raining and my camera or phone is in danger of getting wet. These items barely fill my bag halfway.. I don't need to carry everything and the kitchen sink.

[LongliveKingsCobra]

I find carrying the Kitchen Sink to be a pain.

When I go to the park, I have my wallet cellular device, and car keys. That is all I need to keep me happy! I do have friends that like to bring bags and such, but it's not overbearing at all...in fact it comes in handy when you do go on a water ride!

[count_of_tuscany]

I just wear a fanny pack! It's incredibly convenient! Plus, I usually have to carry a bunch of Leah's stuff, as her pants normally don't have any pockets

[gigacoaster2k]

I find carrying the Kitchen Sink to be a pain.

When I go to the park, I have my wallet cellular device, and car keys. That is all I need to keep me happy! I do have friends that like to bring bags and such, but it's not overbearing at all...in fact it comes in handy when you do go on a water ride!

That's another good thing about those bags. I'll open my bag up in line before we get on, and ask my group if they have anything they don't want to lose. Next thing you know, iPods, keys, phones, season passes, cameras, etc are being dropped into my bag. I'll gladly do this for my friends.. losing my Motorola Rival to Maverick last September was a wake-up call.

Or if I'm not carrying a bag and Tom's with me, I just ask him to carry the little bit of stuff I brought in. If I plan to use one of his cargo pockets, I don't carry half of my room with me. When I go to CP, usually it's my car keys, camera, phone, chapstick, contact drops, gum, sunglasses, and I carry my little zipper change purse that holds my little bit of medicine, debit card, and season pass. It's a cloth zippered change purse I found at Claire's on sale for 50 cents, and it hasn't flown out of my pocket on any coaster.. not Voyage, not TTD, not Maverick, not DB, not I305. It stays put no matter what I ride.

If we need sunscreen, we go out to the car and reapply halfway throughout the day, or if needed, I carry a small travel bottle of sunscreen (you can find them at Walmart in the travel size section).

[TH13TEEN]

Like Giga said also girls like to bring along brushes jackets you name it. My sister would bring her bathroom if possible.

LOL, I don't bring a brush. I just deal with coaster hair.. I'm a ride warrior, not a princess. If I do decide to wear makeup, I make sure it's waterproof to last through the day (I have Clinique eyeliner that stayed on even after riding DB in a downpour!). I'd rather spend my time running to DB than constantly worrying about my appearance.. it's an amusement park, not a catwalk.

I just bring necessary items: a hoodie, deodorant, sunscreen, phone, camera, Blistex, season pass, debit card, gum, contact rewetting drops, sunglasses, and a little medicine. I also bring a granola bar sometimes, and I don't go anywhere without my Starburst! I also bring a sealed Ziploc bag if it starts raining and my camera or phone is in danger of getting wet. These items barely fill my bag halfway.. I don't need to carry everything and the kitchen sink.

Oh I guess thats just my sister then...

[Sergeant Pepper]

Zach Clapper How mad did that one guy make you when you read his post? just kidding!

Please do not let this ruin Thursdays 5@5!

[CincyMan98]

Wow. That's not even a funny joke.......and I am guessing there's no 5@5 today, or tomorrow.......

[Sergeant Pepper]

I think your avatar would fit for that "joke"

[CincyMan98]

Good idea. This is my next post.

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[Coney Islander]

For those who don't know, they posted a Thursday 5@5.

[CoastersRZ]

Well, they posted that they are soliciting questions. They have not, however, posted any answers as of yet.

[Diamondback96]

But it's not Thursday yet...

There was not a 5@5 today.

[bkroz]

And as was recently proven, we shouldn't assume that they will.

[CoastersRZ]

That is very true. For some reason, I`ve been all messed up with the days this week. Yesterday, I kept thinking it was Wednesday, when it was in fact Tuesday! I must be excited for the weekend to get here to get back to Kings Island! This week seems to be dragging by.

[PhantomTheater]

LOL, I don't bring a brush. I just deal with coaster hair.. I'm a ride warrior, not a princess. If I do decide to wear makeup, I make sure it's waterproof to last through the day (I have Clinique eyeliner that stayed on even after riding DB in a downpour!). I'd rather spend my time running to DB than constantly worrying about my appearance.. it's an amusement park, not a catwalk.

It's amazing how many times I've seen people fix their hair, make-up and what not on the midway, or on the rides them selves. The worst is usualy on physics day, because at least one person from each school is convinced that the midway is a catwalk!

As for my lose articles, many of you are aware of my pouch that goes around my neck and down my shirt. In it is my phone, pass, car key, any money i may bring with me, and of course my Mean Streak emergency pain reliever. I do wear a hat that goes down my shirt on rides, and my sun glasses has a strap. If I bring a camera in, it is my intention not to ride anything that does not allow loose articles (except Wicked Twister as the bin is right next to the seat). Everything else is left in my car, which i go to if necessary (like to change jackets).

[BoddaH1994]

Glad to see the 5@5 is back. Let's hope people can show some respect this time around.

[Oldiesmann]

Note that they no longer have a notes tab on their page - instead you have to go in through the Boxes tab.

I hope nobody ruins this one as well. I was surprised that they answered my question to begin with (although not really surprised at their response), but never expected someone to yell at them about it like that.

[alluna]

LOL, I don't bring a brush. I just deal with coaster hair.. I'm a ride warrior, not a princess. If I do decide to wear makeup, I make sure it's waterproof to last through the day (I have Clinique eyeliner that stayed on even after riding DB in a downpour!). I'd rather spend my time running to DB than constantly worrying about my appearance.. it's an amusement park, not a catwalk.

It's amazing how many times I've seen people fix their hair, make-up and what not on the midway, or on the rides them selves. The worst is usualy on physics day, because at least one person from each school is convinced that the midway is a catwalk!

As for my lose articles, many of you are aware of my pouch that goes around my neck and down my shirt. In it is my phone, pass, car key, any money i may bring with me, and of course my Mean Streak emergency pain reliever. I do wear a hat that goes down my shirt on rides, and my sun glasses has a strap. If I bring a camera in, it is my intention not to ride anything that does not allow loose articles (except Wicked Twister as the bin is right next to the seat). Everything else is left in my car, which i go to if necessary (like to change jackets).

PhantomTheater,

What kind of pouch is it? Like a sash with pockets or more like a fanny pack strapped on sideways? You've got me intrigued!

[IndyGuy4KI]

Glad to see the 5@5 is back. Let's hope people can show some respect this time around.

Me too, I had not posted anything for several weeks on the 5@5 and it seemed once someone ruined it for everyone else, is when I thought of a question.

Thanks KI for giving it another chance!

[Sergeant Pepper]

Thursdays 5@5

Lots of great questions to pick from. Below are answers for Thursday's 5@5 mailbag.

Derrike Marksberry - Since Tower Gardens is now a smoking area, will we see more enforcement of people who are walking through the park and decide to light up where they stand?

We do try very hard to enforce this. Much harder than many people realize. This is certainly a hot topic. It's not easy to stop a guest and ask them to find another place. But we absolutely do it. There are times in the summer when I take a trip around the park and don't make it far between steps without stopping to pick up trash or enforce this rule. We take both very seriously. If we see an associate walk past either smoking or trash without addressing it – it will be addressed. Try it one day. Take a lap around the park and look at it from my eyes. Bring your hand sanitizer! I will speak to someone about the fountain in the Tower Gardens area.

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Robbie Zerhusen - With more and more places offering free WiFi connection due to the ever increasing connected world that we live in, does Kings Island offer any locations where free WiFi is available in the park?

Robbie, I spent two hours today in a meeting with a company discussing this and several other IT projects. After about 5 minutes I had no clue what they were talking about. I felt pretty dumb but they were talking techie gibberish. I was surprised to hear how difficult it is to make the entire park wireless. Years ago we had a child-tracking service that should be an easy app nowadays but making sure you can cover the whole park is a big deal. I can imagine watching my kid on the i-phone and seeing the flashing red light disappear somewhere in The Beast woods! We are working on it though. Trying to get the I-street webcam up by the end of the weekend by the way.

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Keith Harrison - What was your favorite experience/interaction with a guest on opening day?

Great question. Mine actually took place on Wednesday before we opened. The kids that were invited to check out Planet Snoopy early were from 4 local orphanages. They had such a great time and it made me feel very good. It was also great to see the gates open on Saturday and see so many familiar faces.

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Christine Salleng UmmKhaleel - Historically, how crowded is bring a friend days for gold and platinum pass holders? I was thinking about inviting my friend and was just wondering how crowded it is usually. Thank You! I appreciate your help!

The old Bring-a-Friend Free days were crowded. Too crowded. That would also probably be the answer to the "largest single-day crowd" too. At least in recent memory. The way we do it now on Mother's Day and Father's Day for $9.99 work so much better – for everyone. These are great days to visit. Crowds are not an issue.

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Gabriel Zelazny - As you have stated in a past 5@5, you have a 3-5 year future plan when it comes to new attractions for the park. What makes you decide to build a high thrill ride one year and maybe a family ride another? Also, because Cedar Point is a sister park and is not THAT long of a drive from Cincinnati, do both parks talk with each other when it comes to their new attractions so that both offer a different experience that year to maximize visitors to both parks?

All parks need balance between thrill and family. I think we have great variety and you really need both. Especially at the size park both Kings Island and Cedar Point are. I don't think there's much crossover between KI and CP when it comes to new rides. They have a much different situation from us. We are centered around some nice size cities all within a day's drive and have a large home market to pull from. They are a destination park and see many visitors from all over the country. Aside from a couple of markets, I don't think it comes down to an either-or decision between the two parks. Two totally different strategies but both need the same level of balance.

[kjkjkj]

I really liked the answers today. Pretty informative!

I am glad that they are looking into the fountains in Tower Gardens too! That was one thing I really didn't like seeing was all the drained and empty pools in what used to be one of the nicest sections of the park to relax in!

[CedarPointer]

It's a shame that walking through it will shorten your lifespan, though.

I'm just SO happy that the park has given another smoking area, when they don't stay in the ones already designated for them! KI is SO generous!

[TH13TEEN]

^ I say we just drop it. Thanks,

[brick52]

On the note of enforcing smoking policy, when I worked on opening day I was suprised that someone actually came up to me to ask where the nearest designated smoking area is, I kindly showed towards tower gardens, but I was very suprised how was actually asked.

[Beast1979]

I bet you smokers would be more tempted to smoke where they're supposed to if it was more appealing. When I went to Beech Bend in Kentucky, the designated smoking areas were't just concrete corners with but ugly benches, it was a pretty looking wooden gazebo with trash cans and flowers and everything. I didn't see one smoker out of place, and I think if KI implimented something like this, then maybe they would have more success.

I'm still mourning over the loss of Tower Gardens, the last thing it needed was tobacco smoke.

[CedarPointer]

I have NEVER seen an associate say a thing to a guest about smoking outside of a designated area. Not once. And yes, I have seen them "walk past".

[Diamondback96]

I have NEVER seen an associate say a thing to a guest about smoking outside of a designated area. Not once. And yes, I have seen them "walk past".

Yes, but those people are paid minimum wage, so they don't want to do anything more than what they HAVE to do.