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Winterfest 2019 Discussion.


SnakePlissken

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I miss that vine tunnel. Didn't it also have benches? 
 
It did. The first time we went was in 1973 and I was very young. Actually my first childhood clear memory. We waited a LONG time for the flume and I chickened out and had a tantrum. So my dad took me out of the line to the vine tunnel to sit on the benches. I remember the shade and the flowers. We then started talking about plants, which I was obsessed with and my first career was in the green industry!

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1 hour ago, LuckyluvsKI said:

This is our first year with passes and winterfest. Does it get busier the closer to Christmas or does it vary?

I’d guess it will get busier toward Christmas however weather also plays a huge factor in how busy it will be. Yesterday for example the park was a ghost town because of the rain.

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21 hours ago, Ben43065 said:

Friday they let everyone in about half an hour early, yesterday they didn’t. 

Not sure if this will continue to be the case, but here is adding Sunday's info:

Friday opened main gates 30 minutes early. (5pm posted time)

Saturday they didn't open gates earlier than the 4pm posted time.

Sunday opened main gates 30 minutes early (4:30pm instead of 5pm). (However, couldn't get to rides until 5pm.)

My guess is that this has to do with ice skating, which has the first session starting at 5pm. It lets folks get started with the reservations so they can be on the ice at 5pm.

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3 hours ago, kikid74 said:

Not sure if this will continue to be the case, but here is adding Sunday's info:

Friday opened main gates 30 minutes early. (5pm posted time)

Saturday they didn't open gates earlier than the 4pm posted time.

Sunday opened main gates 30 minutes early (4:30pm instead of 5pm). (However, couldn't get to rides until 5pm.)

My guess is that this has to do with ice skating, which has the first session starting at 5pm. It lets folks get started with the reservations so they can be on the ice at 5pm.

Also interesting is I think last year the last ice skating session was 9:30pm which meant it ended after the 10pm close. But I could be mistaken on that. 

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Are the three Belschnickles (spelling?) back this year?  What is the deal with them?  One was very chatty, two were stone cold silent.  I asked them if we could take a picture with them and my politically correct friend wouldn't allow it, saying that they might not want their pictures taken.  She's slightly over the top,  LOL

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On 11/25/2019 at 2:04 PM, SnakePlissken said:

Also interesting is I think last year the last ice skating session was 9:30pm which meant it ended after the 10pm close. But I could be mistaken on that. 

the skate session this season and last are 5pm-6:30pm, 7pm-8:30 and 9pm-10:30pm

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I went to Winterfest last weekend, and I had a great time!  Overall, I think the event keeps on improving.  The lighting was the best the park has seen yet. Mystic Timbers still delivers every time and is as smooth as ever.  Flight of Cheer was sorely missed, but hopefully it'll be back on the roster for next Winterfest.  There were a few other things I missed this Winterfest over the past couple years: there was no eggnog & hot apple cider at Jack Frost's Liquid Libations, and the corn pudding at Smokehouse Christmas was absent on my visit.  I ran into the beverage manager and let him know about the eggnog & hot apple cider, so maybe they'll return in the remaining weekends.

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On 11/25/2019 at 7:16 PM, MDMC01 said:

I saw two of them Saturday, mostly in Planet Snoopy...  I thought it was just part of their character to freeze when spoken to/interacted with lol (that's how it seemed last year and this year when I said hi). Someone else might have more information, though.

It is indeed part of their character to freeze when they're "noticed", they think they can't be seen if they don't move!

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Anyone think tomorrow will be a wash-out cancellation? They only closed one night last year due to weather and it was a weeknight before Christmas. Assume it will go on since it’s probably a “prime night” being the day after thanksgiving, but be interesting to see if there’s a rain cancellation or reduction in hours. 

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3 minutes ago, brenthodge said:

Anyone think tomorrow will be a wash-out cancellation? They only closed one night last year due to weather and it was a weeknight before Christmas. Assume it will go on since it’s probably a “prime night” being the day after thanksgiving, but be interesting to see if there’s a rain cancellation or reduction in hours. 

Last Saturday it rained and the park was a complete ghost town, doubt it’d be much emptier then it was that night.

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I went to my very first Winterfest last night and had an absolute blast.

Let me first say that this year has been hands down the worst year of my life for a number of reasons. Getting into the holiday spirit has been incredibly difficult. But my mom and I decided we needed something to cheer us up and get our minds off of the sadness around us and ended up at Winterfest.

I gotta say I was very impressed by how much detail they put into it. To be fair, I know I have no previous visit to compare it to, but after having been to other light displays/holiday themed nights at other places, this really blew me away. People were friendly. The whole atmosphere was very warm. And speaking of warm, I loved how they had numerous heating spots to stop for a quick warm up when needed. It wasn’t horribly cold last night, but a little warmth for the nose and fingers helped a lot.

I did maybe three rides, one of them being MT of course. But most of the time was spent simply admiring the lights, taking pictures, watching people play holiday group games and listening to people singing, trying ice skating on the royal fountain with my mom. Oh, and eating good food of course.

There was so much to do, we didn’t even get to all of it even in the five hours we had. It went so fast. I’d just like to thank the park for an awesome night and for having this event. It helped spark some happiness again.


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Out of curiosity, has anyone spotted any wooden Kings Island ornaments?  Kings Dominion had many for the park and their various rides, so I figured KI might have them somewhere.  All I found at Kings Island were either plastic or the thin glass bulbs that tend to break over the years.

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This was the second Saturday in a row I did not go due to rain. If it rains too much they are known to cancel shows and there is always the chance the park decides not to open or close early. Spring Summer and Fall yes go enjoy the rides. As long as there isn't lightning most of them run. This time of year I would think the rain would ruin the fun.

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Question...last year my family went to Winterfest twice. On neither night could we find either Charlie Brown or Linus in the tree lot for a photo op like the website promotes. On the second night I even asked a nearby employee what time was the best time to catch them...he didn’t have a clue what I was talking about. 
My question is, has anyone seen them this year...and are they dressed like the website shows?

 

67C47C78-CA2E-4587-BB4E-2E3D527AE632.jpeg

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4 hours ago, standbyme said:

Question...last year my family went to Winterfest twice. On neither night could we find either Charlie Brown or Linus in the tree lot for a photo op like the website promotes. On the second night I even asked a nearby employee what time was the best time to catch them...he didn’t have a clue what I was talking about. 
My question is, has anyone seen them this year...and are they dressed like the website shows?

 

67C47C78-CA2E-4587-BB4E-2E3D527AE632.jpeg

This was Friday night. 

IMG_20191129_211113.jpg

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@IndyGuy4KI Thanks for the reply...and that is a great photo! I love Snoopy in his Santa outfit...but i am disappointed that it is not Charlie Brown and Linus. The website specifically states: “Join Charlie Brown and Linus at the end of the maze for a photo opportunity with the special tree. 

I hope that they are there sometimes...otherwise the park should drop the description. (And if anyone from the park is reading this, my family will be making our one and only trek to the park for Winterfest this Saturday. (Wink wink)

 

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They had Linus there Sunday.  Even toward the end of the night when the park was nearly empty. 

It was lightly rainy almost all Sunday night but the only thing that did not happen any time during the night was Holly Jolly Trolley.   They did not open a few food stands and closed some early, but this is the proper way to handle a slow night and not upset the customers that spent their money to come.  

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