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Hasn't been my experience, especially in the night rows. Um... what? don't worry. He got me on this one too a few years ago.... Wonder how many other things he's said like that this year alone. Things that both were and were not like diversions. Sometimes if one cannot speak in riddles, parables, analogies, hints, and diversions, one is not allowed to say anything at all. For many reasons. One can be an asset, a know it all, banished, or fed in this life. Its all in relationships. It truly STARTS with who you know, later becomes what you know, and later still who knows you. Terp, who a few people know. This post may be one of the most important I've ever made. Ponder. Consider. Soon, it will be next year. Where will you be? I'm not sure of my answer. And I'd not have it any other way. Confront life with energy.

The policy is as fair as it can be for everyone. With the risk of sounding insensitive (and I truly am not), if a guest has a severe enough case that a set time to ride still cannot be followed due to the possible reaction, I'm not sure they would/ should be able to ride to begin with. What if the ride stops due to a malfunction (as had made news at KI twice this season)? Will the guest be able to evacuate the ride safely without a reaction that could possibly hurt themselves or someone else? It is both an unfortunate situation & decision, but IMO as fair as it can get.

Saves a lot of lives on coasters and trains. Thank goodness for John Miller.

Big Sexy and to the few other trolls on this board. I really wish you would either quit your shtick or take it elsewhere. I have really grown tired of reading your mindless dribble. You have not added anything to this discussion other than complete negativity. Why did you even join this board? Are you really that bored in life to have to troll a park enthusiasts website? Congrats you won! You got us to respond. Now go somewhere else and troll.. Please.

Ha. You, of all people, would be wrong. And post quantity means nothing at all.

@Secondson you don't have to try and decipher everything Terp puts.. I have read every post in this thread and I am eagerly wanting to know what's going in but no way am I going to try and decipher what he is saying. IF he knows good for him and if he knows its only because someone trusted him enough that he would not say. That kind of trust is earned not just handed out. At this point go ahead and look at the field, check out the footers, make some guesses but don't put pressure on your self to figure out what it is as no prize will be awarded. This is an AMUSEMENT park. Right now some people are being amused while we figure what their building for our amusement.

The more I see/hear from Matt Ouimet the more I like him...

Very severe cases, like my brother, have no concept of time. I guess I'll have to ask, since you said you had a brother, what do you do b/w rides? My thought, if I was in that situation, that I'd go up to the ride, get the pass, while my wife did whatever was readily available with an autistic child, then we'd all go up together in the 15 minutes or hour or whatever. Of course then again, an autistic child may want to do The Racer now, and there is no diversion good enough to satisify them for however long the wait is. I bolded the part of the quote that definitely fits my brother. It was always complicated. We were still visiting CP with the RVs regularly when they decided they wanted to try the new boarding pass out. It was a disaster so we were still given passes to allow immediate boarding even while the brand new boarding pass thing was in effect. (still have a pile of "Sorry for Interrupting your day" passes from CP kept just for nostalgia I suppose) Back then it was a routine to him to follow my dad to the coasters (in particular Mine Ride, Iron Dragon and WildCat, as far as coasters go he didn't bother with the others), he liked the kiddie rides, his preferences though was the train and Paddlewheel Excursions. Every trip to CP was heavily structured cause of the routine he liked to follow. As an example once we entered the park and after me and my dad did Magnum it was always off to Paddlewheel Excursions because if we didn't then he be demanding for the "boats". When we did try the new system briefly, we tried to use the shows to keep him busy (because he also liked the shows as well), and he did end up having quite a bit of outbursts in the park. It clearly confused him and the more you'd tell him that we be going back to that ride "in a few minutes", the more impatient and agitated he got. With all the changes at CP, I don't think my brother will ever see the park again in all honesty. Over the years my brother has gotten much taller than my parents, and a lot more stronger which means if he has an outburst...it doesn't end well. When we went to Dollywood in 2005, he had an outburst there, which was really caused by him being tired and ready to go back to the hotel. What happened as a result of the outburst I am sending you in a PM and Dollywood as a response when they found out he was autistic sent us a written apology and free tickets. I never been comfortable posting about the experiences publicly so yeah check the PM. Apparently he had massive outburst at Disney World too in 2010 (and in 2008) but I didn't witness those because I spent pretty much the entire time during those trips at SeaWorld. Living with an autistic person with the severity as him is not easy. Its definitely put a huge strain my parents (and my dad is a cardiac patient so I worry about him a lot), they don't get along well anymore, and I am hands off when it does come to my brother because I don't want to be attached really. Why I prefer to travel solo most of the time. We can't even take him to Walmart anymore. Everytime my mom would take him shopping only thing he wanted was Reese cups, which always causes him to have a headache and since he can't tell us he has a headache, he throws a fit. So we have to keep large quantities of candy and such away from him. He hasn't been to KI in almost a decade, don't think he'll be going anytime soon cause the Antique Cars are gone. (again, he liked those) He never forgets so yeah... The last time he visited KI, he almost had a massive outburst but several round trips on the train soothed him. Mind you, he is very tall (slightly over 6 feet tall) and he WANTED to ride the kiddie rides. Obviously couldn't...so we tried to divert his attention to other stuff quickly before it could get out of hand.

Were they up there looking for money?

I could sort of see why they where angry. I'm one of those very lucky cases where my autism gets better and better and turns into aspergers. But about 90% of all other autisitcs are like this which sort of makes me sad . Prayers. I also can wait in lines so no worries for me.

Send in the cranes...

Nice to see you posting again Jackson! I have missed your postings! Welcome back!

Actually the change is new. In previous years under Cedar Fair's Attraction Boarding Pass policies - there were color coded cards that determined specific access. These cards could only be given out by employees who were specifically trained to evaluate a guest's case, needs and requirements. It's a tough situation as an employee - you want to be as accommodating, polite and respectful as possible while also keeping the guest's safety as the top priority. I should know, I assigned plenty of those passes the past few seasons before I left the park. In the case of guests with autism, there used to be a specific sheet just for those cases. Normally, the Attraction's Boarding Pass required that if the wait time was 30 minutes or less, the guest and their approved group were permitted access up the exit immediately. If the estimated wait time was above 30 minutes (say it was 45 minutes), the guest would be given a time 45 minutes later to return with their group and board. With the autism pass though, things were different - there were never assigned wait times specifically due to how some guests are affected by the condition. My best friend's sister is autistic and in her case, she's a child who doesn't understand the concept of waiting. Unfortunately policies like the one above are not a "catch all," every disability is different and each case needs to be evaluated on an individual basis. I never encountered any guest who tried to abuse the system when I gave out passes, but I know of many guests where the "autism pass" was a huge help to the family in the park. I can say this - the park takes this matter very seriously and the training and respect around that training are truly sincere and I can say with confidence that it was executed very well. I don't think the family in the mentioned case here is being contradictory, rather I think they were just taken aback by the policy change which up until this season was different and allowed for accommodation on rides as soon as possible. Frankly, I think the discussion has gotten to the matter at hand and people have been sharing their thoughts. Like many have said, it's a no-win situation. No policy, no matter how accommodating is going to be able to be applied to each individual case. However, I think the park takes alternate boarding and accommodation very seriously. As mentioned in the article, the park changed their policy after consulting with autism awareness groups in order to create an "equal" experience for everyone. I think in this case unfortunately, the guests were just not aware of the policy change. just pointing out something - during the remaining years of Paramount/Viacom/CBS (at least 2004 - 2006), the policy was the one I mentioned above. Guests who requested a pass for alternate boarding would be given a wait time on certain attractions if the regular line exceeded 30 minutes. However, there was no special accommodation pass for a guest with autism. Also, nearly any associate could give out these passes at rides, there was no evaluation. Cedar Fair implemented a new policy in 2007 that kept the "30 minute rule," but was more specific and individualized, while adding the "autism pass" - however, you also had to be a manager or a guest services team member to award this pass to a guest. I think what the park did was noble, they were trying to create an equal experience across the board. The problem was that not everyone was informed of these changes, but then again how do you target such a specific audience with the information of these changes? It's also tough when a first time on the job 16 year old kid has to be the one to explain said policy change to a parent in the heat, who has walked up an exit and is expecting to have their child accommodated based on past experiences. I will say this, I can be very critical of the way certain things are executed out of Sandusky - but this policy is something that the folks who work at Kings Island are truely passionate about. When I worked at the park, I loved receiving feedback from guests I talked to on the midway and I worked in an environment where I could share that feedback with my team. If you're a parent or someone who knows someone with special needs and has questions or ideas for improving the policy, please share it with the park. There were several people, and there still are people who truly do care.

Yesterday, they were working furiously on a number of footers behind Slingshot, as well as newer ones in the space between where we think the transfer track will be, and the triangle footers.

No. You, nor no else who isn't a mod, don't get to decide when to close a thread. You don't get to decide what is socially acceptable. Society (and here, the administrator and mods) does. Others have been banned for continued use of the now considered hurtful word you used. And it makes no difference to this where you work. That's like saying "But some of best friends are..." As for the number of clicks, you seem very uninterested for someone who was so curious about Drop Zone's mechanicals. Others want to know. Many members here are younguns who will end up working at KI. Others may someday design restraint systems. One reader here already does. Finally we get your contempt for the obese and overweight. Not everyone CAN do something about it. Some day, when you least expect it, your metabolism may change. And Voila, you may find yourself there.

Personally, I thought that the second I went upside down, I was going to throw up. I have no idea where I got that from but I was absolutely terrified of going upside down when I was younger. I didn't actually get over it until the year Raptor debuted and I tried it (which would have made me 15). No problems with heights but was scared to death of inversions. Of course, after experiencing them once, I realized there was really nothing to them and rode EVERYTHING after that.

There ought to be cranes?

Is that at Kentucky Kingdom? Depends on what your definition of construction is. Terp, who'd crack up if a major KI Hint issued on June 27, 2013. Talk about a diversion....

TTD-120-420: Saying Escape From Pompei is a water ride is a bit like saying the Pope is Catholic.

You have to have been here for a while. Stay tuned. Life is a great adventure.

I already have previously. To recap, it's a brilliant addition in the right place at the right time in the right context for all the right reasons. Mr. Ouimet and his team can justifiably be very proud of this move, a diversion that's just...right and just right.

And likely the end of Kentucky Kingdom history.

Kudos to your family for the effort to make him happy. Many do not.

I agree with Vortex that the park is in a no win situation. Those families with mentally challenged members do not want special treatment, yet do not want to wait for a ride like everyone else? That is a bit contradictory. My daughter was diagnosed with autism, and I have not & have vehemently refused "special" treatment. Now she does have a mild case, which makes it much easier for us to deal with, but I want to press her into knowing how to deal with it as opposed to using it as a crutch (I understand many are not in the same situation). That said, I am confused as to why this is an issue. If there is a set ride time, why would anyone have to wait more than 10 minutes?

Every post in this topic convinces me more and more that Kentucky Kingdom is a Hot Potato. No one seems to know just how hot until they touch it. I have a feeling that Ed Hart significantly underestimated the cost of refurbishing the property, which means a lot, considering he's already chosen to look for outside funds instead of financing the project out of pocket. My prediction is that Hart will act the same as Six Flags and the Koch family - he'll toss the hot potato.

I have only blocked one user on this site, a long time ago, and it doesn't help. People still quote the poster, respond to the poster, or make fun of the poster. It makes it unavoidable. Plus half the time I ended up using the option to see what was said just because I wanted a good laugh. Going back to the inversions comment. Big Sexy is, to some degree, right. People have their fears. Some don't like heights, some don't care for speed. A lot of guests are terrified of going upside-down. I was on Skyride the other day at BGW, and in a span of ten minutes I was asked five times if Skyride went upside-down. Friggin Skyride. Anyone with common sense can tell the ride does not invert, but people are terrified. I was asked if Escape From Pompeii inverted in the show building. It is a water ride.

Many more places than I'll admit to here. He, like Gatekeeper, is brilliant. And he does not live in the Maple Grove parking lot, nor has he hired his son to manage a FUN park.

I bet you that the Eiffel Tower will have the highest ridership this year!!

Expand on this.

Go up to any rides operator at Diamondback and ask them how many clicks you need in order to ride. They will all reply "3" confidently. 2 clicks is at most of the major roller coasters at Kings Island.

Someone should have told poor Alton Towers that the g.p. doesn't like inversions. Yikes.

I think there is construction going on in Action Zone. Just something I heard at the park.

This is probably a good time to remind everyone that the block option is really really awesome.

^ Phantoms and Eagles, awe makes me miss when KI had both.

Pretty sure it's not.From the manual: There are 3 clicks until it is at it's place to be considered closed. Trust me and Ki Man. We've both handled the restraints countless times in operation and in training (I know for my training, we were showed each click and there are 3 before the train can be dispatched). We have been taught to know how the ride works, what it sounds like, what it feels like, what it shouldn't sound like, what it shouldn't feel like, how the restraints operate manually and automatically, how the restraints feel, sound, etc. End of this discussion with you. To the OP: As far as Diamondback seat sizes, they are all exactly the same. There are no differences. When it comes to the test seat, it's the same exact one as what is on the trains. Having experienced this, when you may need help, you are more than likely in between clicks which require the restraint to be brought down to the next click as the restraint isn't locked properly for operation. Do you have permission from b&m and ki? Can't you get in trouble posting pages of a ride manual on the internet? Big Sexy, enough. First, if you are going to edit your post, put edit there, because what you have done is made me look like I'm discrediting myself. Do I have permission from B&M and KI? No, do I have to? No. When receiving my manuals as stated before there was nothing legally binding me from sharing them. As I also posted, there is nothing in what I posted above that gives specifics of how to operate the ride. It is merely terminology as you'd see via the photos instead of trolling like you are constantly doing and crossing the line with. The terminology in the photos are not B&M and park specific, so what is your issue? Is it the fact that I've actually backed up my statements from earlier in the thread? Is it that you have nothing better to do than try to discredit people when you can't even follow the terms of service?

Fast Lane Season Passes SHOULD be available. They should cost .80n times $50, where n equals the number of days the park is open for the season. YES, I'm serious. YES, some would buy them. I might even throw in dinner with your choice of the GM of the park or the FUN CEO, for a nominal additional fee of, say, $1000.

I just remembered I can ignore people on this site. I'm gonna give it a try...

Pretty sure it's not. From the manual: There are 3 clicks until it is at it's place to be considered closed. Trust me and Ki Man. We've both handled the restraints countless times in operation and in training (I know for my training, we were showed each click and there are 3 before the train can be dispatched). We have been taught to know how the ride works, what it sounds like, what it feels like, what it shouldn't sound like, what it shouldn't feel like, how the restraints operate manually and automatically, how the restraints feel, sound, etc. End of this discussion with you. To the OP: As far as Diamondback seat sizes, they are all exactly the same. There are no differences. When it comes to the test seat, it's the same exact one as what is on the trains. Having experienced this, when you may need help, you are more than likely in between clicks which require the restraint to be brought down to the next click as the restraint isn't locked properly for operation.

Mmmmmm. no.

Great America at Gurnee is also a tremendously busy park. Don't even think of a Saturday visit, unless you plan on buying premium Flash Passes. And those are VERY expensive. So's parking, unless'n you have a Gold Six Flags pass.

Night Row *was* Terpy's most obvious hint. A frequently recurring one...five years ago. I doubt it holds the same relevance now. My, how the time passes...

Night Row was the most obvious hint Terpy has ever given. And most people still never got it.

Hasn't been my experience, especially in the night rows.

Afternwatching the video I am reminded b&m's are over at the mcbr.

Because it is.

Star Trek can't do justice to my feelings about these reactions. Ohhhhhh...... Could this be I DIVErsion!?! Star Trek wasn't good enough.

Wake me up when an official announcement is made. Zzzzzzzzzzzzz.....