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PREFACE: I am posting this with much hesitation because of the way you guys blasted and mocked theLip2 for his truthful comments. I believe he (theLip2) is telling the truth because of how my conversation went with Don this past Sunday. So if you don't believe me that is fine, just don't be a jerk about it because what I am saying happened. So here goes nothing... My GF and I were at KI this past Sunday. We were in the shed at the end of the queue line for The Vortex when we noticed that a film crew filming riders getting on and leaving the ride. (This crew as we all know was the travel channel crew filming for a future show that should include some KI rides) After we left the ride we noticed Don Helbig was around the photo area of the ride and I had to double take to make sure it was him but it was! I hesitated for a second and then turned around because I had one pressing question to ask him. I approached him and asked if he was in fact Don and he said Yes. (Funny/embarrassing sidenote: I think i called him Don Helberg instead of Helbig... I think I was nervous and felt like an idiot, but Don was nice and didn't correct me. I thank him for that.) We shook hands I told him my name and I told him that I didn't want to bombard him with a question but I had a question about the park that I always wanted to be answered. He replied go ahead and ask it. I said, I wanted to know what was the cap, if there was one, of Fast Lane passes sold per day? How did they determine when to stop selling them for a particular day? Was it based on a percentage or was it just a set amount of passes they had available? (I know thats 3 questions but I had followups because we held a convo for about 7 minutes or so) He mentioned that the sales of Fast Lane passes are based on a percentage off of the attendance for that particular day. The percentage of Fast Lane passes sold is around 20% of that day's attendance. He then quickly mentioned the fiasco we all remember from HH without me even posing the question. He stated that they learned from those HH nights and based the "newer system" in place this year should help alleviate the problem of overcrowding at attractions. He mentioned that they did a great amount of research before implementing the program at KI. He said they went to many parks (Dollywood, Six flags Locations, Busch Gardens) to take some of the good from each program and implementing the program here at KI. He said they didn't like the ride once quick queue program and they added an unlimited ride program that we see in use today. He said there hasn't been very many people who use Fast Lane that blatantly just ride one ride over and over again. (Which I do agree with, I haven't seen many people marathon on a single ride with Fast Lane. BUT if I ever bought a Fast Lane Pass I would do nothing but marathon ride on the Diamondback. they would literally have to peel me off the ride because I passed out after riding 25 times in a hour of so ) He also mentioned that they increased the price (starting at $50) this year so that it is an add on that people can buy but not everyone will buy. He said that was due to the fact of HH and how the line for Fast Lane were so long because everyone bought one that the regular lines were affected. He also mentioned that the role of Fast Lane was to have equal enjoyment of on both the people who visit only one day and want to experience everything as well as the people who choose not to purchase the Fast Lane passes and stay in the regular lines. He then asked me a few questions like If I was having a good time at the park? Which I responded with a "of course I am!" Where I was from and who I was here with? Indianapolis and my GF. If i was here with a pass or with a regular ticket? Gold Pass holder. He was very nice a courteous especially since I asked the question while he was in the middle of working with the travel channel crew helping film the park. He took the time out to answer my question fully as well as ask me about myself and how I was doing with my park experience. Don is definitely a good gentleman to have as the KI PR man. I thanked him for his time and we shook hands again and he said enjoy the rest of your day here at the park and we hope to see you here again soon.

This is the second time I essentially have been called a liar here. I will think long and hard before posting here again. All I can tell you is that Matt Ouimet's body language, facial expression and words clearly were saying that the Son of Beast is gone. Believe me, don't believe me, it really doesn't matter. Yes, I even found it strange he would tell me that, especially since I never really asked any questions about the park or the future other than when I asked him about a Luminocity type show and that was only because he brought that show up to begin with. I would also not that Greg said that taking guests up into the International Restaurant would be a regular occurence. He stated that they would be asking about 20 guests to go up there on any given night. I would also note that he did not say exactly how frequently. He used the word "regularly" so infer what you will. If anyone would like to go on the record and wager a friendly adult beverage with me (To be consumed at Hank's) regarding the future of SOB please feel free to state so below and I will do my best to hold you to your word. Lol I will also stress that Matt was very charming, gracious and easy to talk with. More than anything he was asking a lot of questions about where I lived, favorite park, how often I came, whether I had a pass, etc. I did bring up the fact that I never eat in the park and that I appreciated what appeared to be an effort to improve the quality of the food this year. He stated that the prices were out of line with the quality and that the quality had to improve or the price had to be lower. He seemed to be saying that they would be striving for better food at roughly the same price points. He also said that he thought that the season passes provided exceptional value. It seemed that he might be indicating that those prices might be higher in the future. I have a been a casino dealer/supervisor for the last 16 years so I might be fairly adept at reading body language and communicating with people and being able to read between the lines a little based on body language, facial expressions, etc. - lol Mr. Ouimet appeared to be VERY SINCERE, extremely energetic and eager to learn from the guests. Believe what you want.

I just wanted to share a brief story of my experience at the park yesterday. Me and my girlfriend went to KI yesterday and arrived around 11:30a. The park was starting to get very crowded and since we both have passes (Platinum for me and gold for her.) we only weren't going to stick around the park long with the longer lines. We decided to ride The Racer and then we were walking down coney mall and I saw some suits. I didn't recognize them and I was trying to get a look at their name tags. One guy was named Mike. I continued walking and then realized that there were a few more suits just ahead of the other two gentleman. I stopped and was talking to my girlfriend and then I looked back at the suits and I immediatley recognized Mr. Ouimet. (I saw the video from Cedar Point a few days ago that someone linked here.) I told my girlfriend and then I started to approach him and I said, "Mr. Ouimet?" He approaced me with his hand extended and greeted me. He asked me a few questions about the park, where I lived, did I have a pass, etc. We made some small talk about the park and I told him I was a shareholder of FUN, etc.He discussed Luminocity briefly and he was VERY excited about that. I asked if the show was a hit would be seeing something similar here in the future and without saying yes he intimated that we would. Without my asking he also said, (I will not quote because I cannot remember for certain EXACTLY what he said) We need to do something for you guys down here to replace Son of Beast because there just isn't anything we can do with it. I thanked for for his time and somewhat starstuck and amazed at the man walked away with my girlfriend. We got about 150 feet away when Greg Scheid comes up and says that Mr. Ouimet said that we were loyal fans of the park, he then asks if we are going to be staying all day and I remark that I don't think so. He continues on and remarks that that was too bad because he wanted to invite us up into the International Restaurant at park closing to view the fireworks and for free soda and pizza. I was thinking to myself what a fantastic gesture! We did leave the park and we did not return which I feel like is a decision that I will be regret for a long time. I also kicked myself in the a$$ for not getting my picture with Mr. Ouimet. (I am not normally a guy that cares about famous people or moviestars - I don't care if I see them or I don't, but Mr. Ouimet is in charge of a corporation and chain of parks that I am emotionally invested in. Lol) Anyway, that is my short story. I hope you enjoyed.

Thank you, TheLip2, for your posts. I am most grateful for your detailed reports, your analysis and interpretation of the nuances of the conversation including tone of voice, body language, and sincerity, fleshes out the interaction. Your reaction and judgements add considerable weight to your words. Again, thank you. Many of us appreciate thoughtful commentators.

I realize there has been a lot of controversy lately as to what Matt Ouimet was/is going to do for KI and the other CF parks. Well, I was at KI yesterday for the first time this year and I would like to share my positive experience with you. We were waiting at the front gates right before ERT, and all of the employees came out of the Guest Relations office and cheerfully greeted the crowd. Asked us if we're ready to have fun in the park, waved to us, and many of them were passing out park maps. Never in the years I've been going to KI have I seen the employees interact with the guests the way they did. It was amazing. As we walked to Diamondback, employees and even security guards said hello with a smile on their face. I also saw neatly painted white gates with the KI logo in place of the tattered ropes used to hold back the non-ERT guests. A little later, we went to Beast and I absolutely can not believe how the massive amount of retracking has brought that coaster to its former glory. For the first time in a few years I had my hands up and a smile on my face instead of gritting my teeth and clenching the black bar to stop myself from getting jerked around. Beast has needed some love for a long time and it finally got it. When we got something to eat, we headed to the new burrito place (the name of the restaurant escapes me right now but it is where Outer Hanks used to be). I walked in and there it was. FRESH FRUIT. Yes, you read that right. Fresh fruit, and salads. And lots of it. How long have we been asking for this? It was so nice to bite into roast beef, rice, and lettuce yesterday instead of a greasy hot dog and cold fries. The friendliness of the employees was constant yesterday and all the ride crews were having fun. I also noticed a large shelf of cold cut sandwiches with veggies on them at LaRosa's. I'm not sure if they were there before or not, but not everyone does well with greasy food at an amusement park and it is nice to have healthy food options. (I did get pizza, but that's neither here nor there ) Yesterday was also math and science day. There were a few groups that got Fast Lane passes and the way the employees executed it had zero effect on the usual speed of the lines moving. This will be my 17th year visiting Kings Island. In all the years I've been visiting, I have never seen such a genuine and obvious effort to make the guests happy. I know I've said that I won't visit much this year, but seeing my home park turned around like this has me wishing I could go back today. So I would like to give a shoutout to our new CEO. He was at KI yesterday, and I'm disappointed that I didn't get a chance to tell him that he's doing a terrific job.

^That would be one dumb person

Doesn't every one on Internet forums get called a liar? I know I call Terpy a liar after every post of his. I just don't always post it.

You won't be finding any super balls in the 80s store. That term meant something else in the 80s.

Hopefully, he missed. Terp, who just HAD to.

Oh, please. Very few mothers want to go to Kings Island for Mother's Day. And of those, many would go that day anyway. Why else does the park run a promo that day? And 45 percent? How do you know it isn't 44? Or 64?

And while you are busy thanking Mr. Ouimet, and rightfully so, also consider thanking Q and even Mr. Kinzel's harebrained scheme to sell to Apollo, without which current top level management would arguably not be having FUN.

http://news.yahoo.com/no-end-obesity-epidemic-20-forecast-shows-194725214.html So I guess that 42% of U. S. citizens will not fit on amusement park rides by the year 2030. Let's just say that it's 42% across the boards (no pun intended) that would mean a BIG drop (once again, no pun intended) in park attendance. Are B&M, Intamin, Huss, and all the other ride manufacturers listening?

I don't want to be among them. I plan on losing 30 lbs this year. Part of my plan (back, you zombies!) anyway, is to visit during low-attendance times and marathon back and forth among my three favorite coasters, Beast, Vortex, and AE. I find that to be an enjoyable way to 1. Avoid my habit of snacking and instead enjoy the zero-calorie indulgence of coaster joy (( )) and 2. Burn off all the stored fat and stay hydrated with zero-carb, sugar-free drinkage. Then, once again, I can enjoy my other two favorites (DB and BLSC) without being mercilessly stapled in. My first wakeup call was being diagnosed with Type II Diabetes. My second was the dreaded "click.... we need two more.... grunt.... click..." Wish me good fortune, my friends.

Thanks for the info, and preface, best way to make sure you dont get bombarded with fan-boy hate mail!

BINGO! I have been rather fed up with all the tight lips around SOB as if it were top-secret classified information. Mr. Ouimet's openness is refreshing to say the least. Perhaps they should trim the tree?

Hey, I heard it's haunted by werewolves - packs of them. Is this really true?

Sunday sucked out loud with crowds...even a substantial wait during ERT's for DB. But, there were busloads upon busloads of hungover after prom imbeciles in their matching t-shirts, clogging up the works pretty dramatically. Why we left at 11:30. When AE is lined up out to the sign that early, it is not a good day to get rides in.

At least we'll have a decission. I would love a Gravity Group coaster to replace it though.

^ It's much easier to peel off the stickers and reapply.

Perhaps next time LegoLand could snap together a power plant?

Sadly, on this board I think a lot of people agree with this statement.

Son of Beast is done. End of Story.

...which does not necessarily have anything to do with why the ride has remained closed.

See the topic title. Like it or not, Son of Beast looms over the park. Its future, or lack thereof, is a key leading indicator of Kings Island's, Cedar Fair's and Matt Ouimet's futures. That is reality. Among the best evidence of that? We are told Mr. Ouimet brought it up with no prompting from the poster. Perhaps you should ask yourself why Mr. Ouimet himself considers the ride's future that important.

Well given what happened with Bat and how Hades has been riding of late..., Terp, teasing.

I have to admit that I'm surprised that the 2012 season has kicked off and there Is no announcement or indication of activity on the SoB site. Personally, I beleive a decision has been made (and agreed to now by the new boss), but the park is not ready to share this news yet. I don't know what this means, but I'm thinking replacement attractions in Action Zone in 2014 earliest. Just my opinion.

I think it's pretty apparent that they are going to tear it down and build a roller coaster with 5 loops, and 4 launches...duh....

i will second all of that. Went for the first time yesterday and the things mentioned WERE noticeable. 1000% agree about The Beast. It was probably the smoothest ride I have EVER experienced on it. Now, I will say that on 3 different instances yesterday we were bunkered down in the Festhaus while explicit lightning and torrential downpours came and it still confuses me that our German themed building has: Italian Pizza (LaRosa's), Chinese Food (Panda Express), and a "British Invasion" show. all in all, It was a great day, all the way to the Fireworks going off 5-minutes early because "another" storm was approaching. One thing I did notice yesterday was a group of Park Officials (about 5-6 of them.... not Dippin Dots guy) in Action Zone overlooking the pile of wood, commonly referred to as SOB. Couldn't hear what they were saying (and didn't try to put myself in a position to hear)- but they were "getting into" hand motions while pointing at it.

Just a quick observation. Look at the position of the flags in the above pictures. In the first picture, they are at the four corners of the tower, and in the bottom picture they are directly in front of the fountain.

I just downloaded the "photo toaster" app on my iPad...there's a setting called "instamatic"... I thought it was a really cool effect, as well. Here's a comparison with a couple of standbyme's pics:

I really enjoyed this! Thanks again! You rock!