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If you're a bargain hunter, Coney Confections (aka the "everything $10 and under" store) at the entrance to Coney Mall. They have a couple racks of clearanced t-shirts and ball caps, all for $5 each. They add new ones periodically, so it is always my first choice for shopping. The only problem is typically each shirt will only be available in one or two sizes, and sometimes they will have sun bleaching from having been in other shop windows for too long. There are some other discounted things as well, and if you're looking for merchandise for rides that no longer exist or have been renamed, it's the most likely place to find it. The 80's shop is fun. I'm always finding interesting things I never saw elsewhere. The Sweet Spot is not to be missed. Freshly made fudge, caramel apples, and other confections. A wall of pick-a-mix candy including saltwater taffy in my favorite flavor: maple bacon!

Some were led to believe that they already did, or did attempt to, attend Kentucky Kingdom's 2015 opening day.

Guests have more money in their pocket, spending more money in parks, increased attendance. Comments on innovation being the forefront of driving future attendance figures. Labor largest cost in operating the chain. Carowinds sets record Memorial Day weeekend ever. http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000381947

Didn't stop my mother...which probably explains a lot!

We're going to Kings Island in July this year, instead of running straight to a coaster, we're running straight towards Shake, Rattle, & Roll!

And regular passes don't just not include parking, they expire after Labor Day. After Thursday, to avoid this, you must buy Platinum. Someone is always shocked by this.

Oh no. Full price for you then! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Well, if you're not from Kentucky, I'm sure there's a deal for you. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I kinda want to check Kentucky Kingdom out just based on this thread alone lol. I wouldn't do it for anything over $20 though, so doubt that's happening.

I think it should remain child/family themed, considering its location. A dark ride more along the fast/loud/spooky route, I'd be ok with that elsewhere in the park. I think it's been mentioned elsewhere (maybe even in this thread), but Rivertown could make for some interesting themes for a dark ride.

Hmmm. Hopefully it will ALSO be back in action next season. Grit your teeth, Bear the Load, Enjoy your Ride...

The spring season pass sale is typically extended a few days, for the benefit of procrastinators who wait until the holiday and then forget. The fall sale has also been extended a few days beyond Closing Day in prior seasons. Such an extension is never guaranteed, so relying on it would be unwise. Kings Island gold passes definitely will go away after this Thursday.

Generally I count the opening day when all of the rides are open. And tested. EDIT: Their website sucks.

Hi, all. My daughter is a big chicken when it comes to thrill rides (just like I was at her age) but she is very curious about the WindSeeker. We watched some POV videos of it on YouTube, and aside from the height of the ride it doesn't seem that scary. I know videos can be deceiving so I compared its thrill rating to other rides that I've been on, and I was surprised that it is a 4 compared to the Zephyr's 3. I found the Zephyr to be pretty agressive for a 3, and it looks like the WindSeeker is slower and without the tilting. Is the WindSeeker worthy of the 4 rating? Is it faster than it looks?

I was fortunate enough to have "discovered" the Surf Dog ride during my visit to Kings Island on Sunday. I was in line for Invertigo with some friends, we somehow got talking with the couple in front of us. They highly recommended taking some time to venture over to Planet Snoopy and take in a ride on Surf Dog. We were highly skeptical; however, decided to go for it. Man-oh-man am I glad we got in on that conversation. Surprisingly, Row 6 on the far side of the ride during the fireworks on Sunday night was a memory I will cherish for a very long time. This ride is fantastic. I would highly recommend a journey over to Planet Snoopy and catch a ride!

Looks like they've got another one in the works for this Friday. I can't recommend it enough, especially if you've never been on one. The last Twitter-advertised tour ended up being very intimate-feeling compared to the attendance numbers of the other ones I've been on. https://twitter.com/kingsislandpr/status/603385361222541313

Cedar Fair's thrill rating system lost all meaning to me when I saw that Kings Dominion's Blue Ridge Tollway (their antique cars) has a rating of 3. Out of five?! By that logic, a nearby bench ought to be a 2, breathing ought to be 1, Cirque Imagine should be a 5, and Intimidator 305 should fall somewhere in the range of 20 to 40.

If you aren't absolutely petrified of heights, and if you don't have a background in mechanical engineering, then WindSeeker is a very pleasant ride with an incredible view and a touch of excitement due to the height. However it scares the living daylights out of me. I am petrified of heights, and I have a BSME degree so I can't help but think about dynamic stress equations and metal fatigue failure modes and 9.8m/s^2 (acceleration due to gravity)... lol... yeah it's pretty difficult for me to enjoy WindSeeker the way it's intended to be enjoyed. For me, it's a 4 or maybe even a 5. But I'm in the minority. Most people are fine riding it.

I got to ride SR&R the other night as the last ride of the night with the fireworks going off. SR&R new lights + WindSeeker up in the air with it's lights + fireworks = an awesome visual

Reminds me of "No soup for you!" This park only remotely interests me and not enough to go yet. It will probably be closed by the time I think it's time for a visit.

Nope, I'm from the good ole bluegrass state, and even worse, the Northern Kentucky variety, so not even close to their target demo.

i agree, it is a fun ride, and it's at that 44 inch mark which is a very good thing when you have a young girl growing up that still hasn't hit the 48 inch mark but wants a ride that's more extreme than Woodstock Express.

A bounce house that is anchored to the ground can, in fact, be uprooted if you try hard enough. I had one in my backyard for my high school graduation party. Turns out they aren't really designed to accommodate 10-15 teenagers at a time. Nobody was hurt, so we had a good laugh about it.

Not about 2016, but Today is continuing its series on roller coasters with a visit to Cedar Point. It's showing sometime within the next half hour.

And life is about choices, not just money. Some choose to do what they love, at some economic cost. And that's fine.

https://twitter.com/KingsIslandPR/status/603058385060286465 It will be "back in action". This summer. Not next season.

I decided to watch the time expire on the countdown for season passes for the heck of it. As soon as it hit zero seconds left the next thing I see is, "Sale extended 3 days". I laughed just a bit.

I'm just glad the kids were not killed. My prayers for the little ones that were injured. That is one flight I would not want to take.

Zephyr used to be my favorite, but when I rode it last year, I discovered it triggers my problems with spinning that came with age. WindSeeker, however, with its larger radius, doesn't cause me any nausea at all. I don't have problems with Shake Rattle and Roll either.

The only reason I'd care to go is to ride a few rides before an inevitable shutdown or sale of the park (again) Also, to laugh at some of the things there. To decide to repaint a coaster red with red after that terrible paint scheme was removed still makes me chuckle. It's almost as if Kinzel went crazy...or crazier...

When the cost of maintenance of ANY attraction exceeds the perceived value it brings to the park- this will happen. As it pertains to The Racer... It may happen all the time, but I'm not sure when the last time I saw both trains operating on a consistent basis was. Not saying it's in jeopardy- but the paint job has seen better days. I was called everything but a heretic when I suggested that SOB could be removed. With Banshee I can't recall the last time SOB was mentioned. Things are removed for park improvement- something the CF management in the last 5 years has done well. In Carowinds case, I agree with 'Terp- better days are in the works.

I rode it when it was the previous Avatar ride, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I wanna get my son on it this year, if he will.

The other 3 Sally Ghost Blasters type rides I've been on have laser sighting. I wonder why KI's doesn't?

At the park today, and the longest line I have waited on was to get La Rosas Pizza [emoji16] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

A beach is not the proper place for a bounce house anyway - it should only be used when anchored to the ground (which they usually are when seen at fairs, etc.). Hopefully the kids will make a full recovery.

I also know, because this happened to a friend, if you fail to make a payment on your season pass, it becomes void until you have paid up to what you currently owe, and you will not be able to purchase a pass on a payment plan the following year. This was a couple seasons ago, however, and this is purely anecdotal, so take it with a grain of salt.

I saw the Today show. Savannah Guthrie rode Dragster and Rougarou while Jenna Bush Hager watched. She is pregnant, so that's why she didn't ride.

Although there is no hotel on property, Charlotte has a great deal of lodging already. Think banking, pro sports, NASCAR....

I'm not a fan of this ride. I wasn't a fan 20 years ago when it was themed as Outer Limits, but I dislike it less now. Back then it had over the shoulder restraints and the quick transitions turned your head into a speed bag and you left with sore ears and a headache. I rode it again a few weeks ago and probably will never ride it again. The car and/or restraints were extremely uncomfortable for me, to the degree of really wanting to get out of the car rather than enjoying the ride. To each their own, though, I know several people do enjoy this ride (as evidenced by the posts above).

Hopefully ALL the rides are. Especially The Racer...

I don't know if KI pays the lifeguards anything different from other employees, but I know the artist stands are contracted out to Kaman's Art Shoppes, who presumably would have their own pay scales.

I loved the food, ERT, behind the scene photo ops and the nice free goodies. First off, people have there rights to their own opinion. With that said, I loved the food and understand that some things may not always come out right. The ribs were great but did not come out perfect and I take my hat off to the cooks that tried their best. Everything else came out just fine and thank you for all your hard work. The extra ride times as always was great. Thank you to all the hard workers that stayed over and this includes security. Great job and a great line up of rides. What could be done to make next year better? More stories and more guest speakers to share and educate the fan base. More behind the scene photo ops with say a look into the repair shops or a close up of what goes on behind the scenes to get the park up and running. Rides on The Beast with less trim brakes. It would be nice to take the ride full speed ahead. Great job once again Don and I look forward to next year.

Loved it , loved it, loved it!. Only complaint? When Dennis Spiegel's talk was over-did not want his talk to end. Did get to chat with him a little and what a super nice guy.

Have already seen it 4 times-never gets old.

"Your Wildest Dreams", and "I Know You're Out There Somewhere"-, The Moody Blues. I saw them playing at Timberwolf the summer of '88. I was seated middle right. I noticed a really cute blonde girl dancing several rows back with her friends. I thought I would strike up a conversation with her after the show, but lost track of her and never saw her again. Over the years, I would sometimes think about how I should have played that one a little differently. Fast forward 5 years. I'm out of the Army and in college. I am talking with the girl I am dating and we discover that she was at that concert also. She was seated rear right dancing with her friends. Yep. It was her. We celebrated our 14 year wedding anniversary this month. When I hear those songs, I think about seeing my wife for the first time, dancing at that concert at Kings Island; And how 5 years later, I was lucky enough to finally be able to strike up that conversation with her.

My wife and I went several years ago. I can't remember which tour it was, but they went off the trail and drove us right up to most of the animals. It cost extra but it was worth every penny. You haven't lived until you smell a rhino fart (or have it try to chew your side view mirror!)

Something else to note about the inspections. Somewhere near the control panel there should be a bright green "Ready to Operate" tag that is signed and dated by maintenance and the operator. There is a clear paper holder hanging and these tags should be visible if you know what they are. Those should prove whether or not that ride has recieved proper inspections for the day

I was actually here for the first time this past weekend, which is kind of strange considering I grew up in Zanesville and used to work for the corporation that donated all of the land (and they were always encouraging us to visit...) We did the zip line tour and it was a blast! The first time I had ever zip lined and loved it. I didn't get to do the full safari experience, but saw quite a few animals...it's a cool facility. It feels really hard to believe you're in Southeastern Ohio! From what I've heard from others, the operational professionalism has really stepped up since the Columbus Zoo began managing operations and back-office functions several years back...

Not to be the naysayer here... But Cedar Fair doesn't make impulse purchases. Things are planned out well in advance. And if whatever CF is planning absolutely cannot be done without the removal of Thunder Road, then I hate to say it, but the ride's fate is likely quite sealed, no matter how much the fans lament it. Also remember that rides are machines and machines have a life expectancy. There's no easy decision to remove a ride (well, MAYBE Son of Beast...) because there will ALWAYS be backlash. No matter what you decide to remove, you're removing SOMEBODY'S favorite ride. So let this be a reminder that nothing lasts forever, and sit upright, hold on tight, and enjoy EVERY round on all of your favorite rides. I know that my beloved Vortex won't last forever. The day its removal is announced, I will probably cry myself to sleep that night (and I'm being quite serious). But I know it's coming, so I ride the heck out of it now while I can and enjoy every moment of it like it's the last ride I'll have.

Kind of sad they took out the signs in front of The Beast's plaza that told about him. No matter, he is still a legend in KI fanatics eyes.