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What's The Italian Job: Stunt Track? You sound like my daughter GatorGirl. When Mrs. Gator slips and says "Italian Job", GatorGirl asks, "What's Italian Job?", and when Mrs. Gator says "Top Gun", GatorGirl asks, "What's Top Gun?" These started out as honest questions at the beginning of last year, since GatorGirl only knew them under their current names, but now she asks just to drive her mother nuts, and to make me laugh!

They're not in Ohio anymore? Terp, who likes to ask questions

For anyone who hasn't noticed, a new park map is now up on the site at: https://www.visitkingsisland.com/images/uploads/file/2013%20KI%20Park%20Map.pdf Not really any noticeably big changes but here's what I see: Vortex track is now more orange-y Thunder Alley is gone AZ water tower is gone Racer's supports look more detailed Also I notice the lack of a change. They did not add the new tallest dinosaur to DA. So overall pretty boring in terms of changes to the map, but still a new map is a new map. And something about seeing a new map gets me excited for the opening of the park!

It's certainly not The Flying Eagles. Nor a family turnpike ride. Some say it is\was\should be misplaced.

^ Not to mention, but I wonder what the life expectancy of an orca is in the wild? I'm guessing no where near 44 years... Just my opinion, but PETA seems to be the Westboro Baptist Church of animal rights organizations...

What's The Italian Job: Stunt Track?

It doesn't help that virtually every show is a musical revue of the type of music that doesn't typically appeal to most seniors. One of the best purchases I ever made was a portable wheelchair for my Mom when she was still with us. She couldn't walk well enough to get to wheelchair rental. I could take the chair with us to parks like Dollywood, which had shows she adored. Though she had been to Kings Island many times in the past, she had no desire to go in her later days, pointing out there was very, very little there that interested her. Grandparents and seniors should be a part of a best day ever. Hopefully, FUN managers are beginning to realize the gaping hole previous management left in attracting ALL demographics, not just young thrillseekers.

Which is why I wondered if I should bother with DB and The Beast on Saturday: because I know I'll be back on less crowded days. Because: I'm walking a 5K that morning to raise money for charity; perhaps you've heard about it? There's going to be a LOT of KICers there Saturday, so I'll be able to see some faces that I haven't seen in six months or longer, and hopefully put some new faces to other usernames. I haven't ridden an amusement ride of any kind in six months and am deep in withdrawal. There will be other, smaller rides, such as possibly Shake, Rattle, and Roll; Viking Fury, etc. that won't be as busy as others, on which I can fix #3. I'm interested in checking out the various minor improvements and changes to the park, which doesn't require waiting in any lines. The afternoon of Opening Day is generally camera workout time for me, particularly since I've volunteered to get a photo of the new evacuation system on WindSeeker for use on the Wikipedia article (assuming it's out where the public can see it, which isn't a given). Need any more reasons?

It looks great but I still see that ugly white building next to Diamondback....

What's yolo? I am being serious.

Should be back up and going. Let me know if any other issues continue.

I have controlled epilepsy, due to a stoke at birth. I have talked to my neurologists (2 separate ones) about my coaster hobby. Neither had any issues with me riding coasters. As a matter of fact, they prefer that I have a more healthier active life than to use it as a crutch and not be active. My old neurologist said this was a good outlet for my stress instead of a lot less unhealthier options. Both said that their research and personal patients have never had issues with coasters.

I'm totally disabled. I have a Golden Buckeye card. This year I can't ride on anything rougher than the Eiffel Tower. I can't even go in the wave pool. I'd like to go to the park, walk around, and see the shows - maybe even meet up with other KIC members. I really shouldn't have to pay full price for admission. Plus, I will either use my walker (which has a seat) or bring my own motor cart. However...... When I am able to ride everything, having the walker or motor cart gets me in through the exits - and before you think "Oh gee, that's cool" you'd be surprised and the looks I get from people because I didn't have to wait in the queue - especially when the ride ops go to seat us and the other guests have been shuffling through their lines to make sure their entire party rides at the same time. Those looks can and do haunt you!

Our handstamp ink can withstand water and sweat. Huzzah. May it ever be thus.

Tough choice, but I had to go with Mrs. Brady. Mrs. Partridge was close because she played in the band, but I watched the Bradys way more than I did th Partridges. And on that note, it's only a few more days until I have my annual night-before-opening-day Partridges/Bradys at KI double feature!

Which is one of the many reasons the loss of Paddlewheel Excursions is so truly sad.

Did we just have a 'YOLO' dropped here on the forum...? Ugh...

Because I was hoping to get in one ride each on DB and The Beast during ERT. The combination of ERT being cut in half and the addition of the 5K runners has likely killed at least one of those two for me. And there's more than Coney Mall flats. Flight Deck usually doesn't have much of a line. Neither does Adventure Express. At 60 riders per train pair, The Racer can move people as fast as or faster than DB and doesn't get as long of a line to begin with. There's always a show to check out. At some point I'm going to be hungry and will likely check out one of the new food options.

I just walked through KI myself yesterday(Google style). Anytime I stay in a hotel out of town I make sure to walk the streets to see where I wanna eat on google before I get there,love it! Sometimes you can even go inside the restaurant,amazing stuff these days.

TOS on this site wouldn't let me type "cat's ass"!!!!!

Thank you for the fascinating info (and pics!) about Seaworld that you bring to these boards. I don't know why, but Seaworld and the animals has always interested me.

^Does it really matter? You have an entire season of ERT at your disposal, not to mention the freedom of going to the park whenever you want--even when you know the park won't be crowded. If you don't want to deal with crowds, perhaps you should wonder what you're doing at Opening Day in the first place.

Meanwhile a big change on another park's map!

I recently returned from a long weekend at WDW to celebrate my 40th bday. While I took lots of pics, I won't post them here, as you've all seen pictures of everything at one point or another. April 18 (birthday) arrived in Orlando at 10:30 AM. Was picked up at teh airport by my girlfriend and we headed to Port Orleans French Quarter. We did online check in, but it wasn't necssary, since for the first time in ages, there wasn't a huge line to check in! (maybe 2-3 people ahead of us). We ate lunch at the Sassagoula Food Factory (food court) while waiting for our room. We were assigned a king room in bldg 3. just a 2 min walk from the main bldg. (side note--this resort is the best, in my mind, of all the Disney moderates--close to 3 of 4 parks (AK is a bit of a hike on their bus), its small (6 bldgs, only 2 bus stops ten feet apart) and very well themed. During the morning rush (1 hr before park open-2 hours after park open) the bus goes directly from French Quarter to the park. After that, it circles around to the Riverside part of the hotel before going over). We first went to the Studios, and got there about 1:30. We got a fp for Toy Story (for 7 PM) and did all the other stuff..Great Movie Ride, Backlot Tour, Star Tours (where I was the rebel spy Vader wanted!) etc. The crowds were about a 5/10. I was able to get a few fps on Rock n Roller Coaster and then did it sev more times in the Singles line (Oh how I miss that on Diamondback!) Surprisngly, FPs were available on Toy Story until about 4:30 PM. (On busy days, those are all gone for the whole day by noon). Also was able to ride TOT a couple times w FP then a couple times in standby line (10 min wait both times) (I should note my GF doesnt do big rides!). We had a reservation at Mama Melrose at the studios for dinner at 7:15 and it turned out to be very good! service was great, food was good and well priced (we didn;t do the dining plan and unless you have ravenously hungry kids, I'd suggest not buying it, though sometimes they throw it in for free, but only if you book a room at the non discounted rate). After that we went to Downtoen Disney to the Marketplace side, walked around, went into the World of Disney and all the other shops in that part of the complex, then back to the hotel. Also, a nice Disney touch is the fact that I had a 'Happy Birthday' button on the whole time and I had about 30 cast members wish me a happy birthday. That was neat. April 19-Epcot. (or the park that is still trying to get out of the 80s!) Again, crowd sizes were about a 4-5 the whole day. We got there at 9:15 and managed to do Soarin 3x in the first hour (with fps and then a 5 min standby line) then living with the land boat tour. (oooo, hydroponic cucumbers lol) Even at the busiest point in the day, the wait never got above 60 min for soarin. From there we did Spaceship Earth (still good), then I did Test Track myself in the singles line and fp a few times. I am mixed on TT 2.0. the new design center is very cool, but then once you get to the track, they dont really make you feel like you're in your 'sim' car aside from a few signs displaying how your car stacks up against the others. The best part is still the last 30 seconds when you zoom outside and around the bldg. From there we went to Mexico to grab a quick bite then walked around the world showcase. I rode the Grand Fiesta Tour (which is now horrible with the retheme to the 3 cabeleors), then the Maelstrom a few times (still a fun ride), followed by a nice stroll around the rest of the world showcase (I've been to Disney numerous times and did the College Program there as well, so with the low crowds, we decided to make a more leisurely day of it and not hustle everywhere.) We had dinner reservations at Teppan Edo in Japan (benihana type place), which we've eaten in before. The food was delicious, priced about the same as benihana (29 for steak and chicken) but with better chefs who, aside from the traditional stuff like making a volcano, did other tricks as well. From there I rosde Mission Space Twice (while I miss Horizons, at least they kept the scent of oranges and put it on Soarin)my girlfriend was tired so she went back to the hotel. I decided I'd like to play a bit more, so I took the monorail to the MK and spent the last 2.5 hours of the park day up there doing all the big rides--space mountain few times with FP, buzz lightyear spin, Splash mtn. When I got to Thunder about a half hour before park close a train had just missed a block so the ride had e-stopped. For anyone not familiar with how that ride works, the track is built really tight around the mountain, and the ride ops have very tight windows in which to dispatch trains. If not, the ride e-stops and takes a good 15 min or so to restart (and this is even after the 9 month rehab that was finished this past fall). So, with Thunder down the rest of th enight, I went to Jungle Cruise (great female skipper..yes, a lot of the lines are striaght out of 1955, but hey, Walt wrote the script, so it still gets used), then to Pirates 2.0 Cant say im a huge fan of the insertion of Jack Sparrow, though it works obviously for the ride and I am a fan of the movies. If only those male pirates still chased the wenches lol), then the park had closed, so I went back. April 20--MK Got to the park about 845 just before rope drop and got in quickly about 850 (they opened up right after the pre-opening celebration outside in the entrance plaza). Again, crowds were a 4-5 the whole day--using FPS strategicaly we managed to do lots of rides sev times over..this is my favorite park, so we spent the whole day and night here. We got the new Fantasyland stuff done first--5 min wait for Peter pan (yes, it still gets hr plus waits even on slow days), walk on for small world and FP for little mermaid and pooh, then goofy and dumbo. The Little mermaid ride is housed in the castle of Prince Eric and basically tells the abridged story of the movie. animatronics are great and its a great ride for kids. We had lunch at Pecos Bill in Frontierland and then did Haunted Mansion (prob my fav non coaster ride in all of WDW) and then to the new 'quiet area' in the corner of the park btwn Liberty square and Fantasyland. It has been newly redone and is themed to Rapunzel. The best part though--multiple charging stations for your electronics! Cedar Fair--take note!). We had 6 Pm dinner reservations for Be Our Guest. I must say that while the experience was amazing, the food was a bit underwhelming and a bit overpriced. I wont spoil the fun, but they do stay very true to the movie in how you enter the castle. While the Grand Ballroom is spectacular, we sat in the smaller west wing, (featuring an animated rose losing its petals). Its got a darker vibe to it, since it often thunders and lightnings when the petals fall off..and pay attention to the portrait of the Prince for another neat surprise!) During dinner The Beast appears sev times (the walk around character) and invites you to have your pic taken with him on your way out. we did that, which was fun. (a side note--unless you're lucky, dinner reservations are very hard to get here. When we asked, we were told that they are now booked up every night until November) In fact, you cant even make them online anymore. you must call 407 wdw dine in order to inquire. They do accept standbys but on a first come basis..so, you could get there at 5 and hope that someone doesnt show for a reservation, or you can wait around all night). Lunch is open to everyone and is open seating..it is a hybrid quick service. You order, then sit anywhere in the ballroom or west wing and they serve you the food. After dinner my girlfriend went back and I marathoned the mountains and rerode my favs (Mansion, Mermaid, Pirates) until the park closed at 11. I've seen both the daytime 'Celebrate a Dream Come True' Parade and the Electrial Parade at night so I didnt stick around for that, but did watch wishes from the top of the swiss family treehouse, which is my fav vantasge point in the park). April 21--got to Animal KIngdom about 9:30 and rode Everest 6x btwn FP and singles line, then did the safari ride, which was cool..two giraffes were literaly 2 feet from our jeep on either side, then Dinosaur two times (what Test Track should be!), followed by a quick ride on Primevil World (a very rough crazy Mouse coaster), then lunch at the Rainforest Cafe at the entrance. After that, it was tiem to head back to the hotel and then to the airport. All in all I had a great time! for low crowds, the best times to go are in early Jan (except Marathon and MLK wknds) through late March, then again in mid April-Mem day (after easter and spring break seasons). Once more in mid Sept-mid November (excedpt Columbus Day). I know they say the wk btwn xmas-new years is low, but not really anymore. summer is a bear--weather is hot, crowds are high and waits are long. With low crowds like we had, the FP windows were rarely more than 45 min after the current time we got them. One more note--to the poster who mentioned the Toy Story characters falling down when you say Andy's coming--management has no longer allowed that to happen. we saw people trying but to no avail. sometimes the characters will cover their eyes or pretend to be surprised, but that's it. Hope you enjoyed this long TR and Thanks for reading!

My dad has recently (in the last 2 years) had 3 heart stents, a minor heart attack, and a stroke. He would love to go to the park but he has said there is not much for him to do there. He was never big on roller coasters when he was young, they made him sick. I would love to take my parents with my wife and I when my baby comes but my wife is not a huge ride person either. She enjoys some thrills but enjoys shows and immerse style rides so much more. My mom is the real roller coaster fanatic and got my sister and I involved in them as well. Looks like I have something to pass on. But I wish the park would bring back shows and rides that are for the whole family. Last year the magic show was awesome. Went with the extended family and had a great time. Funny, kid friendly, etc. But what else was there? Pop song singers? eh. Boo blasters was a nice and fun ride, but where are the other rides for my dad? Maybe KI will turn the corner soon and offer more for everyone.

Financing NOT in Place; Is Expected; 60 Day Extension Of Walkaway Period Requested: http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20130424/NEWS01/304240088/Kentucky-Kingdom-New-operators-seek-more-time-raise-money As I surmised earlier, bank will NOT lend full amount requested for this deal...

Im going to have brain damage if I have to listen to some punk yelling "Yolo" over and over again waiting in lines for coasters again this season! I cant believe I just read that word right before the park opens,I hopes its not a sign for whats to come!

Corky is a she Besides being in the care of man for 44 years, she is also pretty much blind in one eye and no teeth (the aquarium she was at before going to SW removed her teeth). Even with the technology now nothing has been made where any surgical work can safely be done for these guys. :/ Corky is about 47 years old, Lolita was captured only a year later but believed to be even older than Corky, (because she was larger) so that's a possible 50 year old gal right there at Miami Seaquarium. I wanna buy some SW stock just so I can argue with Peta. lol... We truly don't know what a life expectancy of an orca is in the wild. There are some certain individuals that's believed to be over 60 years old, but most seem to disappear between the ages 25 to 35 and are just never seen again. Very rarely bodies wash ashore when it comes to the massive ocean which makes it hard to tell, so several months to a year goes by before they declare that an individual is presumed dead. Transient orcas are especially hard to keep track of because they are generally loners and don't travel with large groups (unlike the Resident orca populations), travel farther distances, which allows them to disappear for years at a time before a next confirmed sighting happens. Before captivity us humans were still killing the killer whales because they were going after fish we were catching, as a result they were heavily regarded as nuisances by fishermen. We know a lot about these guys thanks to captivity but still so much to learn obviously.

I got it too! You've stolen my identity!

It's a good thing Flight of Fear no longer has OTSR's!

"Getting the orcas out -- including Corky, who has been enslaved by SeaWorld for 44 years." Because after 44 years in captivity, I'm sure he would last a long time in the wild.

If it was in Florida, I'd still rather go to California. In the past two years, I've learned that I is not a Southerner. Back in the mid-Atlantic again, I is a happy boy. Or at least a happy old man (young ladies offer me their seats on the Metro!)

Picture 398 by ki_faerie_wench, on Flickr Yes, the baby in the pic is me. Most senior citizens I know are not interested in riding coasters (one sweet lady who is a regular at KI comes to mind as a rare exception), that's why my grandparents fell in love with CP when they did. We all go in as a family beginning of the day to ride either train or Paddlewheel Excursions or both before everyone went their separate ways for the afternoon. I know grandpa loved to get his usual beer and a sandwich while watching shows at Red Garter.

And also no overuse of punctuation. See the Terms of Service. Besides, I thought only dueling or racing coasters could be racist. Terp, exiting quickly, stage right.

I thought they were both hot. Then again, I was an odd kid.

For those who don't know, Hong Kong Disneyland recently underwent a massive expansion to add three new lands that are original to the park, expanding outside the usual footprint of "Magic Kingdom" style parks to add Toy Story Playland, Grizzly Gulch, and Mystic Point. Mystic Point is still in soft-opening, but its highly-anticipated new ride Mystic Manor (a sort of spiritual take-off on the Haunted Mansion) opened the other day to cast members and Imagineers. It's absolutely stunning. It uses trackless, GPS-guided vehicles that can spin, back-up, and "dance" with other vehicles, taking different routes through the house all orchestrated via satellite. It's about Lord Henry Mystic and his mischievous monkey Albert, who opens a magical music box that releases a curse into the house, bringing Lord Mystic's collection of international treasures to life. It's truly one of the most impressive rides I've ever seen - hopefully an impetus to bring Disney back to non-IP property rides.

Is there a discount for Senior Citizens? or anything that can get my parents to want to go to the park? They are in their seventies, and after seeing the new grille and biergarten, I think they'd like to spend some time there, even to just enjoy the atmosphere. They loved to go when we were younger. I know there are wheelchair rentals, but is there any way the park can remove the stigma of wheelchairs for older folks that have a tough time walking far? My mom has no problem with them, but my dad, "He can walk, dammit." But since he's had a stroke, he has to lean on things to get where he's going, and besides, it's a big park.

I for one was a HUGE fan of FunPerks, I felt like I was always driven to reach that next level and get the next reward. I even gave my pass to my then girlfriend to take with her on a trip and get my reward points. Am I sad to see it go, yes. Am I hysterical about it, no. The park did what they felt was necessary and I think was even generous in giving us the e-mail coupon they offered us. Kings Island has been more than generous to us, and even though some feel we should just take it for what it is, I fee like those higher ups that read this sometimes would also value our opinions and our stories about said perks going away so that they can perhaps possibly use for future reference.

Is the discount really 10%? Cause I remember getting 20% discounts at Knott's last year unless that was changed.

http://www.cfnews13.com/content/news/cfnews13/on-the-town/article.html/content/news/articles/cfn/2013/4/23/peta_buys_shares_in_.html Peta buys Sea World stock. This will be interesting.

My question is who ever said funperks failed? I knew after one week of use it was set up to fail,doesnt take a genious. Maybe they did profit and now they will find a way to make it work,legit! No online printing,just everything recorded on your pass?This might take some time to figure out to use at all Cedar Fair parks? I cant speak for everyone but I know for a fact Im going to spend half the money I did last year unless they want to give out several discounts to everyone with a pass,which I highly doubt! It shall be interesting the next few years to see things take place.

If you could take Expedition Everest from AK and put it anywhere else, I am 100% sure I would never go back to that park. LOL Say what you want about AK, but the detail in the theming is amazing. I think it would have been a lot more well rounded if Beastly Kingdom had been built.

I admit to doing that once, years ago. There was a gentleman that wanted to get rid of two extra tickets and asked if we wanted them for 20.00 each. We agreed, as he offered to let us get through the turnstiles and pay him inside. Nice fellow!

Oh, and seeing stuff like Mystic Manor really makes me wish that KI would get another dark ride.

I've been to three Disney Parks (WDW, DL, and DL Paris), and they are all a bit different,with pros and cons to each. Some things at DL are superior, no doubt; for instance, POTC there is superior to the one in Florida. However, I think I'd take the one in Paris over the one in CA. I also like Big Thunder in Paris as well. But the Rock & Roller Coaster in Paris is AWFUL. Same thing with Tower of Terror. You think they cut corners in Florida, believe me you've seen nothing. Splash Mountain is better in Florida than CA. The castle in CA looks like a miniature golf one compared to the one in Florida (talking purely size here). Nemo is a billion times better in CA. Love the Matterhorn; only in CA. There's more to do in Florida due to all the parks, resorts, and water parks on property. There are cool rides exclusive to CA. There are cool rides exclusive to Paris. There are cool rides exclusive to Florida. Trying to say one is superior to the other is really oversimplifying things.

^Love that song Together We're Better.

We as members of KIC do not have this data. The park probably won't share it as they don't even share the number in attendance each year. The park General Manager is the one who was looking at doing this program per his tweet about a year and a half ago, putting "feelers" out there to see if people would be interested in doing so. I think it ended up not having the participation that the park wanted. Compare it to the KIC shirts, we had several people vote for what size they wanted, then we've put them up for sale, how many have actually bought them so far? Translate that to Fun Perks.....how many people said they'd be interested in a "perks" program and how many people actually participated? (Rhetorical question).

Your trip to Carowinds leads you to think of things like that, doesn't it. What I'm confused by is this - Why would someone buy passes for the same price the park sells them from someone that they have never met? I can understand it when there's money to be saved, but why set up a meeting place and buy passes with the hope they'll work when you can just buy them from the park?

Experiences vary. I find the Dodgem at Kings Island far more exhilarating and thrilling than Slingshot. And any park bench. No forces, no fun, one and done.

Slingshot. Less thrilling than watching paint dry.