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^Everyone takes their clothes off and runs?

The problem is, Kings Island's 'Gold Passes include Halloween Haunt" is just too good of a deal. My opinion is that an up-charge ticket for Halloween Haunt and Halloween Haunt ONLY should be created. I still think daytime fun on Saturdays and Sundays should be included until say 5:30. Then everybody clears out and they re-open shortly later for just Halloween Haunt people. Tickets should be discounted to all season pass holders, but not free. There should also be an option to add on a Haunt Season to pass to a Gold or Platinum. This way they can make even more money then they already do, and could put more effort and money into the haunted attractions.

If you sat up there three hours during the latest Knott's incident, you'd still have had about 40 more minutes to wait. Imagine all the things going through your mind at three hours, as you wouldn't know for sure how much longer it may be...ten minutes? Three more hours? All while nervously hoping for a safe rescue, perhaps sitting embarrassed in a puddle or worse, having children on the ground perhaps, missed a ride home from the park or a wedding or even a funeral...all manner of things. Imagine the pacts with the Almighty. Lord, if I get down from here safely, I'll....

Disclaimer: i am usually 99% tongue-in-cheek on this site and very rarely take a serious counter-point to someone's view- and I don't mean to make an issue of this but wanted to take a moment to chime in on this. If a ride such as WS were to stall out at 300'... there has to be a quicker way to bring them down to earth. Personally I have been on the ride 3-4 times this year- enjoy the ride (no my favorite, but a decent ride). My digestive system is such that if I were "trapped" in a situation and not able to get out for 3 hours... there'd be problems. I've had these problems most of my 39 year life and have learned to manage them- 3 hours is outside my manageable time frame. So, as to say, people who may have issue with the length of time getting down aren't sissies as stated. I know that you're probably not looking at it from this perspective- but this issue, while probably doesn't affect the overall "safety" of the ride, it will affect my decision making process when determining "if" I will ride again. Hopefully their "investigation" goes into contingency plans of how to bring the gondola down quicker- or I may have possibly taken my last ride on WS. Just thoughts from the balcony.

Don is like please!! I just want to forget it was ever here!!

Can't wait to use my free Skyflyer and Slingshot rides this Sunday, as well as the front of the line pass tomorrow. All I have to say is a thank you to Kings Island. The program was great for it being a prototype, hope to see some other ideas expanded upon next year.

Who says ticket and season pass processing construction gives the kennel a free ride? To reference the example you are so fond using, when the GR offices were remodeled, what happened to the rest of the merchandise shops in the building? Nothing.

Doesn't matter to me. I don't drink soda.

But couldn't it be argued, that the kennel still serves its purpose with the materials it has now? "Why fix what isn't broke" , to quote what you said in another thread.

According to you, the kennel is too outdated and should get a facelift because it is just over a decade old? I have news for you; Kings Island's front gate has looked the same since 1973. First impressions are everything, so why shouldn't the front gate get a much more attractive look? Dogs don't seem to care about aesthetics as much as humans, anyways.

This is why I am in favor of teachers being permitted to have a conceal carry permit with extensive training by police in the use of the firearm. As it is now, it might have signs stating that it is a "no firearm" facility, it only means the intruder has a clear access to do harm until the time police do arrive, which would be too late for the ones shot and or killed. It is not like you go into a firearm store and buy a handgun and put it on your person and then think it will be ok. You have to have the approved training in its use and continued practice at the weapon range. I still refuse to call a weapon as a "gun" ever since I took my combat basic training at Fort Jackson and our DI would get in our face if we ever called it a "gun." As for Kings Island, we do have our own police that are armed and they are stationed at the front gate entrance and other places in the park, along with assistance from Mason PD on crowded days. I know some people would be up in arms over having teachers armed but it is better than having students hauled out in body bags.

So it's alright if the pet care center gets remodeled, but not the front gate?

I am really shocked they would advise students to this. Not very responsible on the schools part. Doing this may trigger someone to attack or open fire on such students. My motto. "Get the hell out of there any means possible" yes that include going through glass windows. I would rather take my chances with safety glass than a bullet.

I would just hide in one of the stores.

If Kings Island had maintained their original premise of being a true resort area, an entry way that you'd drive under once you reached Kings Island Drive would have been neat.

This summer, my wife, sister in law, and nephew saw the Alonzo show. It was most def worth it. I hope he comes back next year. I also hope KI gets more of these shows. I love the fun for the family atmosphere.

Well, you can have the park open 10-4, ERT at 9, then shut down for three hours and re-open at 7 for Haunt. Also, I think that children under a set age should not be allowed to go into Halloween Haunt at all. When I was there two Saturdays ago, at about 8 o' clock, I was still seeing some strollers. They were leaving the park, but still it's Halloween Haunt. Also, while in Slaughterhouse, there was a group of boys, none of them older than eleven, walking behind my group. They were being really obnoxious, cussing at all of the actors who jumped out at them. In MFCoT, there were some adults behind leading around a girl who looked no older than seven.I don't know about her, but I was very frightened by the maze. Guests should try to listen to management when they say: (from the Haunt webpage) EDIT: What is MFCoV?

I wish they would bring in Arizona so I could buy Arnold Palmers.

Honestly, the detectors weren't doing anything whether they were on or not. The only thing detectors do is make worried people feel safer. Many schools have many different entrances. Even if there was one entrance that entered through an office do you really think that is going to stop a crazed student with a gun? My high school was one of the ones that said to sit in the corner with the lights off until help arrives. Little did they know that if a real emergency did happen I was getting my girlfriend and I the hell out of the building.

Some might say it is broke. Look at what SeaWorld in California is undertaking. A year-and-a-half-long expansion and remodeling of their entrance that will replace the very "1970s" set-up (also seen at Kings Island) with an immersive entrance that sets a tone and draws people in with unique architecture, touch pools, gardens, waterfalls, etc. Functionally, it also provides a more natural experience where people can easily redeem online tickets, use smartphone tickets to enter the park, purchase tours, front-of-the-line passes, dining plans, and more at one convenient spot, etc. The park wouldn't take on this massive project if they didn't think it would benefit them in the long run. I'm sure armies of industrial/organizational psychologists advise them that this setup will pay for itself. Buy a ticket, buy a dining plan, get a Fast Lane, and schedule your day in one spot. Meanwhile, major parks across the country are taking advantage of new technologies to make entering the park smoother. SeaWorld parks, Busch Gardens parks, Universal's Orlando parks, and Walt Disney World parks already use touch-and-go fingerprint scanning on multi-day tickets and passes (eliminating the need for costly, manned photographing of pass-holders or the absolutely ludicrous "sign your name on the back of the ticket" that Kings Island currently sometimes remembers to use). Walt Disney World has tested RFID technology that removes gates completely and allows radio-frequency-transmitting tickets to scan on contact at the open entrance. This allows one employee to man a number of entrance portals, and reduces the time taken to let in strollers or people in wheelchairs. In other words, Cedar Fair has (in the past) been slow or even resistant to allow technology into the parks. Just because we've gotten used to that doesn't mean it's still the standard. In fact, things can be much smoother and simpler while also benefitting the park. Not saying Cedar Fair's seasonal parks ought to switch to RFID scanners, but there's a happy medium.

I don't know for sure about those perks in particular, but we have used some of our perks (free funnel cake, etc.) during Haunt. You could call the park to be safe, but I imagine those perks are still valid/

4 family members and no emails for survey.

There are several reasons to update the front gate. For starters, it does have a bit of a dated look. Sure its functional, and by no means a draw back, but it doesn't exactly wow you as you enter the park either. For a park that wants to give customers "their best day of the year" the front entrance is their first interation w/ the park. secondly, the ticket agent station is definently dated. Perhaps I'm missing something since I've only hit that part to purchase/renew season passes, but they have a bunch of unneeded attendee stations to purchase tickets. Get rid of half of them for those that still want human to human interaction, install a handful of ticket kiosks for those that just want to swipe their credit card or ATM card, get a ticket and get in the park. third, they have a restaurant that has ada challenges and is largely unused by the their guests. you could incorporate a new restaurant that would not only be ADA complaint, but could also function as a rentable ball room for wedding, christmas parties, corporate events, etc... in the offseason, perhaps even during the season. fourth, the merchandise stands that they have right under the entrance are small and hard to negotiate. A new front gate could open up more merchandising space, perhaps the opportunity to sell more stuff to people as they leave the park. fifth, the information racks they have against the pillars as you exit the front gate are dated. A new entrance could allow them to great update those information kiosks. Provide those cell phone scanner things to upload information, apps to your cell phone. A person or two at a desk to answer any and all questions. Finally, there are many other things an new, enhance front gate could open up for them. The best part of view of KI is the moment you exit the front gate and catch a full glimpse of the tower and fountains. A new design could open that up even more, perhaps enhance it. You could add areas to sell additional upgrades to park guests, segway tours, walking tours, premier storage space (at premier prices), larger restrooms, bigger offices, etc... If it was me, I'd extend a new front gate out towards the parking lot to provide for more ammenaties. You could likely start building parts of the new entrance/facilities while maintaing the current facilities thru the course of a season, the start the demo/remodel work in the existing gate during the offseason. I'd imagine a new gate is pretty low on the radar, if its even on their radar, but you know it will happen eventually. 5 years, 10 years, 20 years, its anyone's guess.

They have nothing to gain by advertising their coasters to someone who's already at the park on their way in since the coasters are included with admission. They do have something to gain by upselling you to an experience that is not included with admission.

They should exchange their WindSeekers for some Giant Wheels. I think a ferris wheel would be a nice addition.

That Cowboy dude scared the crap out of me all night long!

But, since I don't have a 2012 pass, a lot of good that does me now. I will remember what parks made my guest experience easy and enjoyable, and spend much of next summer on great adventures in Six Flags America.

Seems to me there's a lot of jumping to conclusions here. The investigation is not yet complete. The company will evaluate alternatives and make a safe, prudent decision. These things take time.

Have you looked at the weather report? High of 52 Sat and Sun partly cloudy That is colder than usual for the last weekend. It will be dead. Yes, I looked at the weather before I posted. 52 degrees is great weather, at least to me.

I would disagree. After reading through Hart's proposal, the cost of refurbishing those rides really adds up and that's just with the estimated price which could very well come in at a much higher cost. A wise member on this site once said you can learn more from what isn't being said than what is. The fact that Holiday World walked away even with the local government's support speaks volumes. From what I've seen, the Fair Board isn't involved with this proposal and no one in the Commonwealth Government seemed to like Hart's proposal last time. If you're going to accuse them of "pulling the wool over everyone's eyes" in order to "get in the pocket" of someone, how about some details? Who exactly are they trying to help out by not saving Kentucky Kingdom? It doesn't add up. - Hart's initial proposal failed to secure investors and he walked away. - Holiday World came in and had the necessary government and financial support - began inspecting the place and abruptly walked away, now remaining quiet on the issue. - Now Hart is back with all kind of numbers that no official seems to be taking seriously. - The number of "other proposals" from other "potential operators" won't be released. My guess is there weren't any. When no other operator is interested and the only one who was walked away - I think that spells out the fate of KK right there.

NO NOT UNDER AE! That's part of the mystique. For most of the ride you can't see the path. (Until a wild FOF appears I spose)

First point, I think it was foolish to buy so many prototypes without knowing how they would react. Next point, I don't agree with the humidity theory, although it was a good thought. That doesn't hold up at Knotts where there is practically none year round. Last point, major modification on all of them to prevent the sway and the amount of down time they have had and delayed opening. I've said this before, my last ride on the one at KI was a bit unnerving-it was windy and the thing didn't want to come down. I honestly thought we were gonna get stuck. Perhaps its my age and such, but I'm not sure I will be getting back on if it does reopen. I want to hear a reasonable mechanical explanation for this and unless I'm comfortable and it makes sense, I will not be getting back on it.

My girlfriend is the same way. She hates the songs I play in the car, but when they come out on the radio 4 months later she asks if I have ever heard this awesome song before.

Thanks, the Babara Streisand song is weird, but i have had that stuck in my head all summer since seeing the Alonzo show.

AND highlights just how much the guest has spent at the park...which may not at all be a good thing. $4 soft drinks add up quickly.

I've thought about that too, but I think having the actual scale takes away from some of the excitement of checking the web site.

So you may have noticed that we were under Maverick for the walk through of Cut Throat Cove, so we also got some great pics of Maverick as well. Track Traveling through the roll First Drop: First turn after the second launch. This was a hard picture to get with the speeds of the train and using a cell phone camera! Up next was the construction tour of Gatekeeper! Pics from tour! Crane ready for putting in track! All that remains of Disaster Transport, the transformers. These are still needed for service so they will not be removed until after the season ends by the power company! Annie explaining plans for the new ride. Footers ready for pouring! Electrician Larry explains about the power coming into the park. He also states the main entrance will be leveled and rebuilt about 10 ft closer to the parking lot than where it is today. Station location! The footer behind the crane in where the first drop will be. Parking lot construction: At this point it was about 5:30 and we had a 5 hr drive ahead of us. So we headed out to make our drive to Indy! I just found one more pic I got of a Wildcat car! Hope you enjoyed the PTR!

I see what you did there!!!

How many times have it been said that seasonal employees, especially ride ops, are not in the decision making process nor are they informed of plans such as it is being rumored here. Something like this would only be made at the very top of Cedar Fair and the park's GM/VP and through consultations with the ride manufacturer. Future plans, rides being torn down and future expansion are only made by top management and all seasonal employees and full time employees that are not in the upper levels of the chain's management team are not part of the decision making plans. Unless you hear of any plans like this or other plans are only released by the park's public relation department, it is not true.

Below is a Trip Report from my trip to KI this past Saturday, October 20th. I went with a lady I work with, her daughters, and their friends. We're teachers, so this group almost felt like a field trip...lol. Most of my friends have quit going to KI, unless they take their kids (I'm 34). This group is always up for a trip at least once a year. We decided to go early and enjoy the day, plus stay through Halloween Haunt. Ahhh...what a great sight! Exiting off of I-71, and the Tower and Drop Zone are in view! What a beautiful day. Is this really October 20th?? The lines weren't bad at all. We're walking in at about 2:30. We also got a great parking spot in the Gold Lot. We got lucky, as two people were leaving their parking spot. Already lots of decorations can be seen. I loved the old Trams with the skeletons in them. What a cruel joke it would be when we would be heading to our car later at 12:45 am!! What great theming as you come into the park. It really sets the mood. We were all deciding what to do at this point. I suggested Firehawk, but when we arrived everyone thought the line was too long, and didn't want to stay. I would have estimated it at an hour. However, a few hours later, the gentleman working the entry gate said 2.5-3 hours, as they were only running one train. Unfortunately, my friends didn't get to experience Firehawk this trip. Too bad! At this point, I suggested the Zephyr. We actually all got on it, and it was actually pretty fun. After that, we hit recaR, Top Gun (45 minute wait), and Shake, Rattle 'n Roll (always a blast). At this point, we split up a bit, and some of us went to The Beast. After countless rides, The Beast never disappoints. There is nothing like it. These are just some random pics I took. The park was really nice to look at today, especially with the fall foliage. We enjoyed a beautful afternoon, but before you knew it, the fog machines were doing their thing! Got lunch at Festhaus, and got the big bonus of getting to see the last 10 minutes of the Buckeyes beating Michigan State. What a great day! You gotta love the feeling when the fog is flowing, and the music starts playing. By this time, it is dark, and I'm amazed at how warm it still is. The "big tall monster" is pretty cool to see in person. I imagine that if I was a kid, I would have been scared to death. However, I caught "it" posing for pics with kids all evening. Cool. I had decided before I went into the park that I wanted a new sweatshirt, so as the evening cooled off, I made my way into a few shops until I found a black "Halloween Haunt" hoodie in the store that is directly to your right as you enter the park. We started off HH with CornStalkers. I've never been really big on the haunted attractions, so I thought this was the line to it!! LOL. It was fun, and I always jump when somebody surprises me. We followed this up with Tombstone Terror-Tory. At this point the crowds are becoming massive, and the line for this was back to LaRosa's in RT. Strange as it sounds, I enjoy the crowds. I just think it adds to the atmosphere. Lots of action going on. I wouldn't think this during it, but I ended up really enjoying Tombstone Terror-Tory. I was just giggling about how the train stops, and how you have to walk through the woods. Great visuals. It was like being IN a horror movie. The fog so thick that you can't see where you're going, and the little girl: "Thats my daddy hanging over there". LOL...gotta love it. Once again, they made me jump a lot! We followed this with "The WorkSite". I thought this was clever, too, and the "cop" at the beginning cracked me up. The girl at the end (with the big sledehammer thing) followed one of our party clear until the Tower: "you think its over? Its not over!!". I told her "great job!!"...LOL We were all thirsty and found a cart with Lemonade on it. We all donated $3.75 apiece, and headed to the Paramount Theatre. We watched all but about 5 minutes of the "Great Baldini". I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The guy cracked me up, but, in a way, I almost felt sorry for him. Great Theming!! We all attempted to get into the line for Club Blood, but we decided not to wait, as the line seemed to go on forever. The rest of my group headed for "Death Row", but I decided to go ahead and wait inline for SOB. After about 50 minutes of waiting (at 11:40) I got into my seat. It was neat heading out in the pitch dark. The climb at night was awesome, and I love the drop. This is where things got BAD. I rode this ride several times with the loop, and pretty much swore it off. I rode it once this summer (post-loop), and the "jack-hammering" effect only got me in a couple sections. However, I don't know if it was because of the cold, or what, but halfway through the ride, I wanted off. I took a beating that was way past enjoyable. The Beast's beating is still "fun" for me. This was absolutely miserable. I was transferring as much weight to my feet as possible, but I still took a pounding. I may try it again this spring, but at this point I'm not sure. By 12:45 we headed out the gates to begin our 75 minute drive home. Overall, I had a blast. There really wasn't much to complain about for me. I can't wait to go back in the spring, and I'll just have to see what the charge for HH is next year. I decided against buying a 2008 pass (I've had one the last two seasons). I have found that having a pass is almost like "pressure" of having to go. Its not that I haven't enjoyed my visits. I'd just prefer to buy tickets for the times when some friends are already going, or something like that. I wish I lived closer; I would go all the time. Anyway, the rest of my group had fun, as well. My friend that I worked with said something interesting to me. I read these forums a lot, but its interesting to hear sometimes what the "general public" thinks. She said that this wasn't nearly as good as FearFest used to be. Now, I don't believe for a second that this year's HH could have been "worse" than FearFests of past years. The only thing I thought of is that I hope people aren't tiring of it. From the crowds I saw, I don't think its the case, and I hope its not. I do think it will be interesting next year to see what they charge for it.

I think the Instant Rewards were at random. One day in June I had a day where everything I bought gave me six rewards... probably a glitch. It was weird, but I totally went with it. haha

Clint Eastwood does to random furniture!

If International Street was to never change, and instead be permanently stuck as it was in 1972, there'd be no International Restaurant and the park's entrance would be a single-story building. There'd also immensely smaller restrooms, no International Showplace or Kings Island Theater (well, not the one we're used to), and the floral date would not yet exist. As has been said, change is inevitable and is a great thing.

Would you also want Beast, Flight of Fear, Diamondback, etc., gone? Change is inevitable. The park that doesn't change eventually shuts. Forever.

It is cool to see that there is a new generation picking up the torch.

the first bit can be answered simply, block section. FD has always (in my memory) crawled up the lift hill, till about mid way up the lift. Sort of like The Beast. All about blocks. For the second bit; if I remember correctly Terpy once, twice, thrice even, spoke that parts can always be ordered. Trust me, I know about blocking, as a former ride op at KI, the lift literally was slow as molasses with the 1 train op compared to the 2 train op that is usually going on. However, my original point was that the lift hardly started before the train was all the way on the lift chain. It wasn't like the train got on the lift and then slowed down, it was more of the kicker wheels were sending the train out faster than the chain could get started for the journey upward. It just seemed odd to me that the lift speed didn't pick up until the train was fully on the lift and only having one train operating. FD has 3 blocks, Block A being the lift, Block B being the Brakes and Block C being the station. If both Block B and C were open (which they were) the lift should be at normal speed, as it's not waiting for the block to clear. However, the lift wasn't even at "normal speed" until the train was 3/4 of the way up, at 3/4ths of the way up, something kept squeaking as I stated in my last post fairly loud and long. I've ridden FD hundreds to thousands of times and have never heard or experienced that noise. Who's gonna make them though? I've heard rumblings that S&S Arrow do not make parts for Suspended coasters anymore on a couple other sites. Taking it with a grain of salt, but what happens when they stop? TombRaiderTy I totally forgot about Ninja at SFMM, mainly because I've never ridden it, so yes...4 on the North American continent haha. Don't get me wrong folks, I'd be devastated if Flight Deck left...but I am just saying I don't see it around for much more than 5 years. Just observations.

^Its on top of the land it was built on, duh.

The entrance is dated, but leave it be. Newer does not always mean better.

OK, here's the latest elevation rendering: This is my personal favorite of the quick color tests I did. You can see the others here: Initial test Optional version (resembling the new Soak City gate) Again, you can review the whole process in my Blue Sky: Kings Island image set. One more final sketch regarding the front gate coming soon.

Shaggy, I whole-heartedly, knee-slapping-rising-to-my-feet-whistling and applaudingly agree with your conclusion. Yes, yes, yes!!! I'm sure Cedar Fair would handle the visual aspects with great care. But as I have said many, many times before: If they're going to blast music over the loudspeakers at the front gate (and along International Street for that matter), they really, really, really, really, really need to play something that evokes the same kind of emotions that the movie themes did during the Paramount era; and that the Pops Orchestra, International Symphony music in the prior years did for the entrance --like you're entering a really special kind of place! The stuff they play now over the front gate and fountains sounds just plain wrong.