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Every year there's a topic like this, and every year I love reading it! Not only for the good, but also for the critical. I like to read what's working and what's not. And thank you, cfred & LoraX! Glad you enjoyed your visit to our house. Y'all are going to make Sam blush... (and no, Sam's not the guy in the Skeleton Key room, but believe me "tall dude" will be reading this topic if he hasn't already).

Just an update to my post a few weeks back... I took my daughter who's 6 and a half on Friday and she was super excited until she saw the wall of monsters at the gate when we were having our passes scanned. She announced "I am not okay with this!" and we almost left. After a few high fives and waves from the actors she decided she liked it afterall so we stayed. She was totally fine with all of the decorations and the actors... until it got dark. Then she was really freaked out walking through the fog and not being able to see. We watched Skeleton Crew which she really liked but then spent the rest of the night running from ride to ride so that no one would touch her or try to scare her. It was actually kind of fun listening to her with her map out plotting the shortest safest distance from point A to point B each time. When the zombie apocalype comes, she will definately be a survivor! Overall, we got several night rides on everything, ate a lot of junk food, and she got rewarded with a glowing skeleton necklace for being so brave. We didn't attempt any mazes although she was tempted after seeing the girls in costume hanging out and chit-chatting outside of Delta Delta Die because she liked their dresses. Overall I'm glad I took her but we will probably stick to Sundays for the rest of the season. I am going this Friday for the first time all year with other grown-ups though so I am super excited to see the mazes and to finally get to ride the 54 inch rides that my daughter is too short for!

Was at Haunt on Friday. This is one of my favorite times of the year at the park. The rides and atmosphere were great, the Haunts we experienced could be great, but the actors have zero energy. That being said many of the actors I watched either in scare zones or in the haunts were not trying. Just standing there or even worse in multiple scare zones it was actor social hour. I don't think the actors are being paid to socialize with one another and area managers need to be aware of this issue. Also I noticed many of the roamers breaking character multiple times to give directions, say hello, or hold conversation with park guests. The quality of acting is down greatly this year. Will be attending later in October and hope to see some dramatic improvement.

"The unnacceptable behavior and events that occurred yesterday, acted out by some unsupervised youth, are in no way typical behavior for our park or the surrounding area." Haha, ok.

Kentucky Kingdom on Facebook: "Yesterday marked the last day of the season for Kentucky Kingdom and Hurricane Bay. We'll see you April 11th, 2015!" Photo : Kentucky Kingdom via Facebook Beautiful photo of the park skyline!

Are you sure that they weren't working, or were you pressing them too fast? Only one button works at a time, so once you press one button, you must wait for that effect to stop plus an additional couple of seconds before any other button will respond to being pressed. I've seen many people make the mistake of pushing several buttons one after the other and then getting frustrated when only the first one works. This is not due to a lack of maintenance; it's been this way since the trail opened in 2011. Agreed, we went through Dinosaurs Alive several weeks before the end of daily operations on a Thursday and all of the control panel dinosaurs seemed to be working then, doubt they went downhill that quickly in little over a month. Now the motion controlled dinosaurs, that's another story...

Wow....SFA website says Frightfest - "Family friendly fun turns sinister after nightfall." Guess they are living up to the hype for sure.

I scream even when I see them and know they are going to do it. I get jumpy at non scare actors in the fog.

Cedar Point was dead today as well, even though lots of enthusiasts showed up. The longest line I waited in was 20 minutes for Top Thrill Dragster around 4:30pm. Most rides (with the usual exceptions) were station waits all day. In the last hour of operation, I rode Mean Streak in the front row (x2), Magnum, Top Thrill Dragster and Maverick (x6).

I don't find the haunts to be scary. I'm the type that likes to stroll around, take my time & look around. With that being said, & after last night, I have to give props to Slaughterhouse. The maze was great (as always), and the workers always sink their teeth into their roles. Enjoyed the new layout/location. For me, Slaughterhouses' Skeleton Key room was the stand out scene of the whole night, and probably the past few years of haunt . It was eerie, in your face uncomfortable, ,with a twist of humor. The tall dude was casted perfectly. I would give his performance a 10. His maniac sidekicks were excellent supporting cast members. For me, you can't compare this maze, and esp the bonus room, with that of a bunch of teenagers running around shouting boo and screaming in your ear. Slaughterhouse was definitely a "cut" above the rest.

Mosley Erecting Company on Facebook: "Getting started at Carowinds!" Photo: Mosley Erection Company via Facebook

I still can't believe the park is closed for the season. And intends to close to the public for the season even earlier in September next year. Something is very not right about that.

That's the new thing to do, though. Standalone mazes (and upcharge mazes at some parks) make a killing by going beyond the normal thing and making YOU a player in the story. You have to complete a task before you can move on. It's much more psychologically engaging than just walking through hallways with folks jumping out. Not saying if it's good or bad, but it allows mazes to be "more extreme" and thus worth an upcharge.

As a loyal fan of Vortex, I am glad you have finally seen the light

Has track been delivered? If not, it'll be there very very soon. It's been leaving the Batavia plant like crazy.

Except for the random kids that win the basketballs at those games that aren't as good at shooting the ball as they are at dribbling and end up constantly dropping their ball right in the path of where you are walking and almost tripping on it.

I'm 99% sure, I even mentioned that to my son that he needed to wait. it wasn't all of them mind you, but the last one in particular was stuck with the head up and only the ability to open/close its mouth. There were a few others that we couldn't get to work properly. But the maintenance went beyond that, dinos with missing claws, the dig station wasn't well attended to, etc.... its just gave me the impression of the early stages of the Starlight Spectacular decline, a road headed to an area of embarrassment. Granted, overall, its still in good shape, and perhaps what I saw/experienced was just the residual effects of a season long trail, and the needed improvements will be made come April. I doubt there is much shelf life for that area beyond their contract status; it just doesn't seem well attended at this point, but I not privy to any of the financials, so I could be way off base. If the intent is to remove the dinos when the contract is up, I hope that they don't let the area fall into as bad of shape as the Starlight Spectacular was at the end of last season.

What a shame. How many of us have seen a local mall closed due to a lack of safety, or even a perception of it? Are amusement parks immune? How can Six Flags combat this? As much as we might hate it, higher admission pricing might stifle this pretty quickly. You can artificially create a top tier experience (over time) if you price it that way. As it is, kids getting into Fright Fest Presented By SNICKERS for $30 a pop. Even worse... season passes. Currently as low as $49.99 for admission to Six Flags America, Six Flags Great Adventure, and ALL Six Flags Parks. Read: cheap babysitting. We all know it. Walt Disney built Disneyland very strategically: too far for Los Angeles youth to visit, far enough from the beach that folks wouldn't try to enter wet and without shoes (keeping in mind, both of those obliterated precedent of building parks on the water and in the city). You've probably heard of the rules: no visible tattoos, no long hair past the shoulders, etc. The idea of an obscene t-shirt would've been unheard of since folks wore suits, but Disneyland today doesn't stand for it. Not for a second. Obviously Anaheim became its own low income, not-so-safe area. Up went the admission prices and voila. Separately, Disney Fans valiantly argue that Disneyland should eliminate annual passes altogether, or at LEAST offer the highest-tier (most expensive) pass exclusively. That's not for the same reasons, but it would have the same results: thinning the crowds down. As it is, the park is practically overrun with Southern California locals who get ultra-cheap annual passes and flood into the park on Sundays. You create a more exclusive experience through pricing. A lot seems to fall into place that way.

I love Wild One. I live 17 miles away. Total 2014 visits: 0. Total 2013 visits: 1 (left by 4 PM). Draw your own conclusions.

I like Slaughter House best. I am not a huge fan of having things jump out at me, so going through any of them is torture to a point. It puts me into jump at everything mode the rest of the night. The Jack-in-the-box in Planet Snoopy scared me as it went off when I walked by it Friday night. That is a creepy looking thing during the day at night it is far worse.

The Bat, original, at the now Vortex station, was a suspended coaster.

Back to Kings Island for one last time for the year. Used my free Fast Lane pass for renewing, and had a great time. Photos taken with my iPhone 5S. Arrived very early, allowing me to snap a quick picture of the entrance. As the time crept closer to 10:30, they all began to come out and prepare the ticket booths. First stop was Banshee, with the ERT. I rode it twice, but stopped before I had the chance to feel sick. Don't tell anyone I took this from Drop Tower. Speaking of Drop Tower, I had never ridden it so it was next: Very fun, forceful and exciting ride. It was quite a bit more fun than I expected. At that point, ERT was over and I made it over to The Bat. I think this photo encompasses how busy most of the rides were today. Decided to switch over to Coney Maul and check out some of the shops. There were a few good hauls to be had. Skipping The Racer and FOF, I decided it was time to have my second ever ride on Firehawk. I did not like it as much as the first. Huh. One that did not disappoint however: Vortex seems to get better every time I give it a ride. I gave it and WindSeeker a whirl and was rather impressed by both today. Backlot Stunt was next, and it had maybe the longest line of the day. Looked to be around 15 minutes or so. I got right on with my FLP and enjoyed it. The fire effects were working today, when they weren't the last time I rode it. The Beast taunted me to ride, but I was hungry so we stopped and had a small bite to eat at La Rosa's. It was fine. Not fine, was The Beast. It was great! I swear it's been faster this year. That first helix after the second lift hill is outstanding. I waited maybe 5 minutes for the front row, and it may have been the best ride I had on it all season. A trip to Rivertown just can't happen without Diamondback, and it was running just fine. I rode near the back and it seemed to float more than normal. Good stuff. BLUE ICE CREAM and Boo Blasters was next. Ice Cream was good, but the blasters were still not working great on the Boo Blasters. Oh well. Made our way back to Coney Maul, adding a ride on The Racer to the list. It appeared the red train was being held up by angry guests who lost an item on the ride. I jammed the lap bar down too hard and had an uncomfortable ride this time. Whoops. I made up for it with another ride on Vortex. Something is missing here. Let's investigate from the other side. Hmmm. Well. I don't know. Hopefully SR&R is back next year. Making our way back to the entrance, I realized I had never actually stopped to look at the Grand Carousel: It was beautiful to say the least. And I bet it's better at night. I found a great spot to get a photo of the Eiffel Tower: But then I realized the REAL reason they tore down Son of Beast: and I realized it was time to go home.

I've been to the event 3 times and every time there has been a rear end accident south on KI Drive just after the exit every time. Friday on my drive away from the park there were more than 7 highway patrolmen between the park and the Fields Ertel/Mason Montgomery exit.

Okay so I went on the website and found our picture. the one time I actually got my picture taken.

I'm just waiting with bated breath for the announcement of the Carowinds operating schedule. I plan to book a hotel for that weekend the very minute I know WHICH weekend to book for. I think this addition might be enough to firmly solidify Carowinds's place as my favorite Cedar Fair park. Not that it wasn't already, it just might solidify it even more than it currently is. I mean, how could I NOT love a park with Afterburn AND a Giga that has everything I think a Giga should have <3 (Afterburn is my most favoritest Invert. Even above Banshee)

I also love how the coaster-net "article" claims many had plans to redevelop Kentucky Kingdom. First, there was the Koch family with Bluegrass Boardwalk. Then there was this latest RFP. Total number of bids received: 1. Total number of responsive bids: 0. Only after long negotiations, and the Commonwealth allowing its real property to be used as surety was the Hart & Co. proposal accepted. Many?

I just hope that Ed Hart is able to Figure It Out. Sometimes it seems he is 1 vs 100 in the amusement industry. Perhaps the park is in better hands with him than with another possible owner that considered the park, as they have a bit of a Family Feud to worry about. If The Price is Right, then customers will be happy to purchase admission. As the park grows, perhaps the fair board will say, "Let's Make A Deal!" and offer the park a great price on their lease or a discounted parking pass for season passholders. Ed Hart may even be able to make the Sale of the Century and once again get the park into the hands of a major theme park chain. I think the think he needs most to remember, however, is not to Press Your Luck, or the future of his investment may be in Jeopardy! Ed Hart knows how to speak the business Lingo. Investing in a shuttered park is like giving the Wheel of Fortune a spin. If you think it's easy to raise an amusement park from the ashes, then frankly, You Don't Know Jack!

I went to Haunt last night with my then just friend Ellie. Leave it to her to get scared before we even get checked by security. All the monsters were crowding around the front and targeting her and I realized it might not be so scary (for me). The first thing we did was Banshee and then off to Wolf Pack. I had been dreading this because I had never been in a haunted maze before but something about being with her made me not scared. I worked up the courage to hold her hand before we went in Wolf Pack and I have to say it was pretty good. It was still light outside so we could see fairly well inside and I think I only jumped twice. She on the other hand screamed like a Banshee every time one of them even looked at her. I have some bruises on my hand but I think they're worth it. We came to an agreement that we would do a ride then a haunted house. She still hadn't let go of my hand. We went on Drop Tower next then we went clubbing at Club Blood. This was actually my least favorite (though I liked all of them) but it was her favorite. In this one she actually hugged me and I hugged her back to "protect her" from the "dangerous" scare actor. After that we went to AE and Racer then up the Eiffel Tower. If you don't like mushy stuff I suggest you stop reading. She didn't want to go at first but I told her that if I can do a haunted house she can do the Eiffel Tower. It was almost freezing up there so I let her wear my jacket. At this point we were basically snuggling. It's funny because before I hated it when people did that but now I kind of understand. We hugged like that for about 10 minutes when she said how beautiful it looked. I replied, "Almost as beautiful as you." And that's when we kissed. Everything was in slow motion and I felt like the king of the world. She told me she loved me and I said I did too and she just rested her head on my shoulder for about 5 more minutes before we went down. I doubt any Eiffel Tower visit after this will ever be as amazing as this one. We sat for about 15 minutes before Blood Drums started so we could be in the front row. Amazing as usual. We next went to my favorite maze, Cornstalkers. We did some more romantic stuff in line I'll spare you guys from hearing about and then went through. We were soooo lucky that we got to be in the front. Yay.... It actually wasn't as bad as I thought. Just like before they targeted her. We got out and met up with my dad at the Festhaus. Ghouls Gone Wild might be the worst show I've ever seen at Kings Island. I'll just leave it at that. We headed out to Diamondback and she thankfully didn't notice the Carnevil sign. I was okay with all of the mazes we did but clowns are really pushing it for me. We did that cute thing where you put your hands up while you hold hands in the picture. We went to Tombstone TerrorTory and it was okay. The end with the guy in the box got me worse than anything else the entire night because I was literally right next to him. We went to The Beast for a legendary night ride and to the creepiest maze we did all night. Slaughterhouse. It started out like any other haunted maze but things started getting weirder and weirder and I felt like I was in some weird dream. Nothing really scared me (can't say the same for her) but it just creeped me out. We went to BLSC and there was no one there, literally. We rode twice and the second time the ride-op rode with us. We sat in the fog together for a little bit then went through Backwoods Bayou at about 12:45. We went to our car and went home. She fell asleep in my lap and it was the greatest night of my young life. I'll post a picture of us together in line for DB when she puts it on Instagram.

For the record, I was at the park on Sunday, so I decided to experiment and renew my CP Platinum Pass for 2015 at Kings Island with the dining pass, even though the official word from the park representative I talked with (over the phone) was that it could NOT be done. It worked without a hitch. I handed her my Platinum Pass (which is 5 years out of date, so it's clearly branded "Cedar Point"), it renewed at the discounted $279 price, and I was told my Fast Lane Plus was loaded onto the card. All I have to do is present my Platinum Pass at the Fast Lane booth on any Sunday, and it'll redeem one free FL+. Then, I asked about the other perks I was supposed to get (Four $14.99 bring-a-friend discounts and an exclusive season pass preview event in 2015). As I was expecting, she confirmed that the season pass preview in 2015 will be for all passholders. Additionally, she stated all passholders could bring friends to the park for $14.99 on Sunday the rest of the season. There were no coupons required for that offer. Again, this was just the word from an employee at the season pass booth, so who knows if her word was accurate. All I know for certain is that I was able to renew my CP Platinum Pass at KI at the $279 renewal pricing. I'm saving the Fast Lane Plus for a future Sunday. So, as I stated earlier in the thread, calling businesses directly often leads to inaccurate answers as well. I was after actual experience from someone that had already done this promotion when creating this thread, and now we have it.

Are you sure that they weren't working, or were you pressing them too fast? Only one button works at a time, so once you press one button, you must wait for that effect to stop plus an additional couple of seconds before any other button will respond to being pressed. I've seen many people make the mistake of pushing several buttons one after the other and then getting frustrated when only the first one works. This is not due to a lack of maintenance; it's been this way since the trail opened in 2011.

Vortex is not rough. Still my all time favorite Arrow Looper.

Vortex 15 times? Are you now wheelchair bound?

I'd rather give my money to Kings Island than to a company that is most likely making money off stuff they didn't reach agreements with the rights owners on.

SFA tweeted yesterday that any rumors of fighting and injuries at the park were "absolutely" untrue. That tweet seems to have mysteriously disappeared. Based on the number of people that responded with "there are pictures," it sounds like someone in the PR department jumped on social media before knowing all the facts. Attending a Fright Fest at SFA would be truly frightening. I know I would NOT want to be behind Joker's Jinx or near Superman: Ride of Steel or Batwing at night.

Wild One is a great coaster. I also like Roar.

There is nothing wrong with the 3 Point Shootouts.

And, in retrospect, the Kochs bailing may have had more to do with the Kochs and less to do with the Fair Board than most knew at the time. Else, the Bluegrass Boardwalk plan may have been to stand pat. Family relations were then on the rampage. Or not.

Yes. The park has some of its very busiest days during Haunt. Saturdays. Great Adventure even more so. Terp, who once waited four hours for one ride at Fright Fest, presented by Snickers, at Six Flags Great Adventure, then left. If you can AT ALL do Friday, do.

And they could call it ArgArgArg!

I would like to see general improvements to the SR&R/Vortex/Backlot area (the part of Coney Mall that was largely ignored in 2011 while the rest was refreshed) And by "general improvements", I mean, bring back SR&R fully refurbished and looking new, fresh paint on Vortex (she's starting to need it bad...), get rid of Three Point Challenge (I know, I know... it's a money maker, so it won't happen...) and replace it with something more aesthetically pleasing. Like Flying Scooters. Preferably a good set of Larsons like one would find at Cedar Point and Hartland. Those scooters are very nearly as good as the set at Carowinds (that we will never get back, so perhaps it's time to just let go...). Get a good gust of wind, and those Larsons are extremely snappable, just as an FYI for anyone who may not have ridden a set.

From a Suspended Coaster to an Arrow Looper to a Stand-Up? And then if they used the same station that'd be three different coasters that have all used the same station at some point in time. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yes but instead of converting to floorless, convert it to a stand up! Oh boy wouldn't that be fun.

And some of us here never had the luxury of visiting Kings Island as a child. You see, we were adults when Kings Island opened its gates for the first time.

And I linked that above. In point of fact, the first year attendance is not strong. It did not meet projections. One is also prodded to wonder how many of those nearly 600k visits were repeat visits by season pass holders. If each pass holder went three times (and many did go many, many more times than that), single day tickets could be 250k...or less.

I remember last year that the drop off and pick up area was so congested that people were parking their cars across the road and walking across Kings Island Dr. many kids just running out into the street, very scary and I am happy Mason police is enforcing the area, too many reckless kids not paying attention.

Yes. Someone enjoyed it last night. Terp Tradition

$12.99 for season pass holders. Thats actually not a bad price for the food and one free trip to the front. Very cool addition for no more than the price of a combo....

I rode it the day it opened to the public in 1987. When its inevitable last day arrives, I hope to ride it on that day as well.

It all depends on whether Ed Hart is The Guiding Light to get the place out of its Dark Shadows, or if this is just another episode of Peyton Place without Green Acres. Assuming of course that there is no Secret Storm. The park has certainly had more perils than Pauline. Hart, of course, is hoping for a Bonanza. News at 11.

Details on the last rides on October 19: https://www.cedarpoint.com/blog-article/online-fun/The-Last-Day-For-Mantis?mobile=0