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While the complaints of cameras on rides are legit, and sadly it seems like KI is not taking a strong enough approach to deal with the problem before it becomes a real problem, I thought I'd take a minute to switch gears and post something a park employee did that was above and beyond. last evening, after a bite to eat at the Reds HOF Grille, we headed to Planet Snoopy. Our 2 kids decided to get on the bumper cars, however, the car that our 3 year old daughter choose wasn't working. After the first round, our son jumped off his, and our daughter, looking quite sad wasn't sure what to do, we told her she could go again (the crowd was light, so there wouldn't have even been a wait) At that point, the operated came over, she had seen what had happened, and thought that perhaps the car had just come to rest in a "dead" zone and moved it over a few feet and let our daughter remain in the car before opening up the gates and allowing a few more kids to join. When she started the next round, she immediately noticed that our daughter's car wasn't just in a "dead zone" but was not working, so she immediately hit an e-stop and had the 8 or so kids jump off the ride and get back in line. She then opened up the side panel where they load cars and moved the car off the track, then when re-opening the ride, she made sure our daughter got back in first so she could have her pick of car. Once everyone was back on the ride, she fired it up and our daughter could not have been happier. The young lady operating the ride went above and beyond the call of duty to help ensure that our daughter had "the best day possible" And yes, in addition to thanking her several times, my wife was sure to report her good work to guest services when we left the park.

Money. I'm sure she'd rather have her leg back than ANY amount of money. Period.

It takes a special person to work in Planet Snoopy and Kings Island has found a lot of them! My daughter is more into Diamondback then Woodstock Express anymore but when we do hit up a ride there, nearly all the workers are awesome.

Snake Pit. I have an addiction to the park as well. I figure as far as addictions go, it's probably a good one to have

I wonder if mr hart would approve of this? Kentucky Kingdom was a fun little park and Lightning Run is a blast. I went in thinking this place was trash thanks to non stop naysayers and ended up enjoying it. Everyone was friendly and the rides were fun. I look forward to going back and taking my family.

I take back what I said earlier about the person with his cell phone out being escorted from the park. I found a video he posted that touches on the incident, and while he was taken to a room somewhere where he filled out a written statement he was apparently then allowed to return to the park. Even though he directly told security that he had his phone out on the ride. I'm not going to post a link here because I don't want to bring him more internet attention. I know I personally won't ever bother trying to report jerks with their phones out after seeing how this was handled. If one hits me, you can bet I'll sue everyone possible, including the park although it pains me. They really need to take this seriously, because their current laissez-faire attitude is laying them wide open for liability. It isn't a question of if someone will be injured, it is only a question of when.

I was hoping it was just bad press and media speculation, but someone lost their limb. When something like this happens, and I know it sounds childish, but there's an inner voice I have that says "not fair!", like it's all part of a game that can be re-rolled. What a misery for that poor girl.

I read that meme in Mr. Hart's voice. It's more fun that way.

Good luck that girl. Don't know her...but thankfully she is still around. Get her a kickass lower body extremity Alton, and the best one on the market. I'd be back on the Smiler day one if they treated me right. And fixed whatever wrong was in their system, ride, training. Nothing goes further than fixing an extreme mistake ten-fold. Do it right you clowns.

These are things I enjoying hearing about. My visits so far this year have had excellent interactions with park employees. Last year was over the top. Kourtney and Austin at The Beast are the best! I make it a point to stop by Guest Services and compliment the general employee population as well as specific employees. There is a tall guy who is excellent on Diamondback, but I have never got his name.

I understand what you saying. Every so once in a while, the news does an interview with Kaitlyn Lassiter, the girls that got hurt on the Six Flags Ky Superman Tower of Power. She has a very strong, positive outlook on life, despite the fact that she knows every few years she faces operations to adjust her feet. It would just be sweet if no one ever had to go through things like that.

On a positive note, she can still "walk" away. However it could gracious of Merlin Enterainment to ensure she would walk away. ("Walk" in quotations meaning lived thought a terrible accident, I would like to see Merlin Enterainment voluntary step up and do what is need to ensure the young lady can walk again. My original statement was apparently deemed offensive on another forum however I see it as a well wish.)

I wonder if Mr. Hart would approve a Kentucky Kingdom Central? The first forum could be the installation of the Trailer Tower and the continued monitoring of T3 progress...

Sadly, not everyone's light burns real bright. Some people I don't think ever even had the switch turned on.

There are excellent coasters, rides and employees at Kentucky Kingdom. I urge those considering a trip there to do so...this year.

The hardest part is now getting a prosthetic. Above knee amputations are much harder to create and work with compared to below the knee amputations. At least over there I'm hoping all costs associated will be handled by their health care system.

My wife has been out of town helping take care of her grandmother whose health has been deteriorating rapidly the last few months. In that time I have now been to the park 7 times. Haha, she has been giving me a bad time about it. But I have the dining plan and it's something to do to get out of the house. I think this is an addiction!

Don't worry they lowered it back down within 15 minutes Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

While taking a short break during Coasting for Kids to visit with my family who was waiting for me in front of The Racer, I heard this gem: "I rode that when it was at Coney Island," referring to The Racer. The person who said this: none other than my very own mother! Same here. I saw this response to one of the park's Facebook posts about the Banshee Brew Fesitval: "So it's included in price of admission but pass holders have to pay? Not much of a perk to having a pass..." I typed up a response: "It's not included with park admission. Yes, passholders have to pay $29.99, but non passholders have to pay $59.99. If someone were to show up with a regular park admission ticket, they would not be permitted into the event." But before I pressed Enter, I erased it. I figured she would counter with a comment, and I wasn't going to get into that battle. When I rode Kennywood's Racer in 2012, I only rode one side because the Gatorettes didn't want to wait in line again, and I counted it as a half credit. Jack Rabbit was credit #123, Racer (right side) was 123.5, Thunderbolt was 124.5 and so on. It wasn't until I visited again last year that my count evened out again: Banshee 128.5, Sky Rocket 129.5, Racer (left side) 130!

Ive seen a Yeti in central Florida who loves disco...

I'll be posting a full trip report after the trip is over, but here's my day so far: -Banshee: Awesome ride! Rode it in the front row and it was plenty forceful. Definitely in my top 5. -Bat: My first Arrow suspended coaster and it was pretty fun. Nice drop and smooth for the most part. -Vortex: I thought I would hate this ride, but it was actually semi-decent. My favorite part was the double loop. -WindSeeker: Slightly freaky even for a coaster enthusiast . Provides some nice views though. Currently in line for The Beast.

I really am impressed with their customer service. Due to the fact I hadn't gone in around 5-6 years, I did not know the waterpark layout well. I could easily find the giant orange and brown roller coaster, not so much with some of the rides in the water park. One of the life guards heading to his shift at the wave pool next to the 2 water coasters personally lead me to them. It wasn't much but it felt personal. On the way, he asked about my day and what I felt about ThunderBird. Honestly love the staff there.

Really, he did that. Those of us watching kept telling him that's why the train wasn't going and he kept blowing us off. Not very bright!

Indeed, that is a concern. So is a six hour, ~400 mile one-way trip on a nonexistent budget. *sigh*

Thanks for the nice words. It's been a whirlwind for our family. The best meal I've had is the buffalo chicken salad at Reds HOF Grille. It's spicy and huge. FYI as a reminder to anyone reading this remember to tip based on what the amount would have been and not after the dining plan amount! I can easily see someone only tipping on the amount they paid for their drink. I also love the cheesesteak at the place in Rivertown by Diamondback. I forget the name.

The money will help her live her life as she will now have a much more difficult time providing for herself. That said, as has been mentioned, this will stick with her for the rest of her life. When they say life-changing injuries, they mean it. There will be things she can't do. She will likely have PTSD, meaning she'll relive the accident. For a long time. It's not pleasant, and it's certainly not peaceful. The money will help her live her life. It won't erase the pain. She would be much happier indeed had this accident never happened. And it certainly should not have, thus the likely compensation amounts. One can only hope that some major lessons will come out of this accident that will be used to only further improve safety across the industry. This should not have happened. May she receive compensation necessary to live a comfortable life, but yes, no amount of money can bring back your natural leg and erase the memories.

A happening like this, would mentally screw me up in a major way, likely forever. The primary thought that would remain in my head would be "Enjoying the hobby that makes (made in my case) happier than anything else, just changed my body and my Life forever in a very negative way". I know, it would be a LONG time before I was a person anyone would want to be around.

Leah should get a sum of money that should set her for life. This is no mere scratch. She lost a leg which not only affects her now or tomorrow, but her whole life. It really is life altering and I pray that her strength carries her through her injuries.

If we're going with things our parents have said, I have a couple from my own (biological..) father. Raptor: "That scary green thing!" Top Thrill Dragster: "Your head will fly off! See, your brother had to have his stitched back on." Some parents are less encouraging that others, and this is the parent who brought us there..

Indeed, that's more or less the experience I got when I visited last season: friendly employees and fun rides. However, the park's issues are with upper management and the "big picture", not so much with the little things like that.

Awesome pics as always. Waiting for more!

You got some great pics and seems like you had a great time. Can't wait to see post #3!

Despite all these Banshee pics, it was not the ride I rode next. It was Drop Tower! Sadly, I have no Drop Tower pics from this trip (other than the one I took while in line for Delirium), mainly because I was waiting in a switchback instead of the shorter part of the queue that went around the ride's perimeter. At least I got some pictures of other rides from Drop Tower's line, though! The first of two times I rode was in Seat 38 after a two-cycle wait. It was awesome seeing for miles around before free-falling at 65 mph! I did it again since the line had shortened some. I waited only one cycle this time and almost waited another one, but they needed a single rider. I rode in Seat 40 for another fun fall from the sky. I was going to make this a full-on dive loop shot but I decided to include the Eiffel Tower. I had not taken flight on The Bat in too long either! I was looking forward to speeding through its ground-hugging turns! (and, of course, swinging) I know it's been a little while since May 25, but Happy Memorial Day! And a big "Thank you!" to those who have served our lovely country. More peek-a-boo with Banshee! On my way up to the big orange and black Arrow Dynamics-built machine, I was greeted with a line extending to the stairs just outside the station. That was good, since 1. The ride was getting a good amount of attention, and 2. I had time for more pictures! (don't worry, they aren't as numerous as the ones I got at Invertigo. ) And, of course, more pictures of Banshee... (You can still see part of Firehawk from here!) Notice that Train #2 does NOT have a bat decal on it like Train #1 does... I rode in 7-2 on Train #2, since it was one of the seats with a shorter line. It was so fun to be in the back, especially since it meant quite some airtime on the drop and flying around those turns! Finally, FINALLY, Banshee got to have her turn... As much as I like closeups, there's nothing like some good wide-angle shots that capture the overall presence of the ride! I'm glad I rode Banshee when I did. Earlier, the line was longer, but when I arrived it was only on the stairs! At one point there was almost no line at all - it was a minimal station wait. To ensure maximum efficiency, there was still a separator assigning seats. I got assigned to Row 4, in the middle of the train. I ended up walking onto the Blue Train with a group of 3. I noticed the Banshee crew were doing their best to safely check all the restraints and send the train out in less than a minute, which was the main reason why the line was so short! One moment I was walking to my seat, getting in and pulling down my harness; the next thing I knew, we were already ascending the lift hill. It was a very nice ride in the middle, and a good first time in Row 4! I decided to go for it a second time, because like I said before, the line was really short. This time I requested to ride in the front, and the separator said yes. It was about a 2 train wait for the front, which was only about 3 minutes at the rate they were going. I rode with a group of 2 in the front row of the Aqua-Green Train. It was another fun-filled ride with a great view of the track and a 67 mph wind added to it! I only had about forty minutes left before we were to leave, and I still had not ridden Vortex! I high-tailed it to Coney Mall, but not before taking a ride on good ol' Adventure Express since it was only a station wait as well! For my single ride on Adventure Express, I rode in the first row of the last car on Train #1. Still very fun as always, though it almost but didn't surpass the intensity of last Friday's ride! End of Part 2...Part 3 will be up before you kn-Oh never mind; I'm sure you get the gist already

I've never been to KI's waterpark, and haven't been to any waterpark since The Beach back in the late 80s, perhaps early 90s. By I'd assume a good plan would be similar to a good plan for the coaster side. My approach, ask your child what they want to ride first, they just may surprise you. When my niece grew to 48", she rode The Beast and Vortex before she ever set foot on Adventure Express or The Racers simply because when walking off The Beast, she looked at Vortex and told me that is what she wanted to do next. My son, rode Drop Zone before riding any of the 48" coasters, because its easily spotted from the parking lot where we regularly park and my wife was willing. On that note, to sympathize with Gator, my son would ride Drop Zone when he hit 48" right around his 5th birthday, he wouldn't ride it when he was 6, nor now that he's almost 7.

I don't know what's actually coming to Cedar Point next year. Having said that - the fact that they've relocated other rides, cleared a large amount of land already, put up temporary fences around the perimeter and started a "coaster" timeline indicates that something large is likely on the way. I definitely wouldn't dismiss the dive coaster rumor. Here are a few things I believe are pertinent: Dive coaster installations usually take up much less room than many other B&M coaster types. The Sandusky Register piece indicated that this new addition would feature multiple inversions. The only dive coasters that have done inversions (other than an Immelmann) opened this year. One of these new dive machines opened up at Gardaland, the same park that debuted the wing coaster shortly before Gatekeeper came on board. On a related note, the Register leak indicated that the new ride would feature 24-seat trains (3 rows of 8 passengers). Most assumed that the trains would be more like Griffon for capacity reasons (30-seat, 3 rows of 10), but closer study would show that it would be easier for an 8-seat wide train to roll through a tighter inversion - a zero-g roll for instance - than it would be for a 10-person train. Cedar Fair has shown recently - especially under Ouimet - that they like to debut taller, faster, longer versions of coasters that already exist someplace else versus being the guinea pig for brand new coaster types. Cedar Fair large coaster additions in the recent past have all been extremely high capacity. Dive coasters can actually have two trains on the lift at the same time, so if the station and blocks are set up properly they should be able to get 1200-1300 pph consistently if not more. I'm not saying that all of this points to a dive coaster, but as goodyellowkorn182 pointed out dive coasters are a ton of fun, they're incredibly re-rideable and unlike any other coaster that Cedar Point has in their lineup right now. I'd like to see another wooden coaster and/or an RMC Mean Streak conversion eventually, but a dive coaster would be a nice addition if that's what this turns out to be.

1. Check the heights, at Soak City height requirements are strictly enforced on any and all attractions. Make sure to ask the Lifeguard if your child is capable of riding and or needs a lifejacket. 2. Sunscreen, it does get hot and the sun is extreme so sunscreen application is a must. 3. How to rank up: Start your day with smaller slides, something like the Splash Landing attractions or possibly some of the Lookout Cove slides if they are acceptable. Soon after go to some of the moderate slides like Zoom Flume and Thunder Falls. Both are more family fun for all ages. As they grow older and taller, that's usually when Rendezvous Run and Paridise Plunge come into riding range. After that is when usually people ride slides like Tropical Twister, Pineapple Pipeline, and Mondo Monsoon. It all depends on how brave the child is and the heights of the children. Have fun! BB1, that Boomerang kind of guy.

dtk1378 hit it right on the nose. Gradually work them up, just like other rides/coasters. Don't put any pressure on the child, but reassure them that it's fun. At 10 years old, GatorGirl is still unsure about enclosed waterslides. She's fine with them if she's in a tube with us like on Mondo Monsoon or ZOOMbabwe at Holiday World. She did Pineapple Plunge a few years ago and liked it, but now won't do it again. Come to think of it, she's fine with solo tubes in enclosed slides because she's done them at Great Wolf... who can follow the logic of children? Every time we're at Soak City I ask her to do Rendezvous Run with me because she absolutely loved Jungle Racer at HW (their mat racer), but she won't because it's enclosed at the top. I don't pressure her, I just ask once each time, remind her how much she liked Jungle Racer and tell her it's basically the same thing, hoping she'll change her mind. I have yet to try this year; maybe this will be the year!

Good! That wasn't originally offered, so I'm glad they're doing it now. The Cincinnati Beerfest at the Cincinnati Convention Center has them, so I assumed this was standard practice among the beer festival circuit and was wondering why KI didn't have them available. Kudos to the park for adding this option!

I've had enough people ask me if I've seen this article that it inspired my latest blog post. Also, in reference to the fact no Six Flags parks were included - Six Flags is a quickly recognizable brand. I think most of the GP does not connect Cedar Fair with it's parks as the parks themselves do not carry the brand's name. That's what caused them to be included. But other than that, I felt this was basically a list of "popular amusement parks that aren't owned by Disney, Universal or Six Flags." Anyway, if you're interested in reading my rebuttal and my personal top 10 underrated parks (based on my experiences, this is not intended to be a comprehensive list) please go check it out: http://chasingthrills.com/10-truly-underrated-amusement-parks/

Did you correct her?

^^ As far as I know, they all have the rescue basket apparatus. Kings Island's is right behind WindSeeker; if you look closely here, you can see the yellow truss and silver basket.

The mechanism to help with WindSeeker stopping like that is right by it. Its tucked away by the path that goes to Action Theater.

Just found the video...wow, its even a pretty distasteful video. Just the hashtag alone proves how much the individual doesn't care. I hope the man got a misdemeanor. I do doubt this however and the park won't reveal if they did if asked anyways.

And while the price for a regular ticket is higher the day(s) of the event, the non-drinking ticket stays $20, according to the website. Since I haven't decided yet if I want to go, that works out well for me that I don't need to buy in advance.

Paula has stated elsewhere that those were required by the state in order for the ride to open.

...and posted and discussed above! Ed should pay you for posting it again.

This goes to show it isn't a few ride ops being a problem, or a crew problem, it's a park and management problem, and management allows this to happen. Instead of dealing with the issue before, or even after it is discovered, security and ride ops didn't intervene until a scene was caused and then called security. I also wouldn't be surprised if many of the minor majority staffed rides have an increased number of issues like this as well. I'd love to see an adult only staffed ride op population, but I do understand the difficulty in doing so in regards to Kings Island.

Somebody (assuming independent) says you are one of the 10 parks to visit this summer, then I say "run with it" and squeeze every once of promotional possibilities out of it. No matter how the list was ordered, I probably wouldn't have posters that said #6, I'd have my posters say "one of the top 10 amusement parks for 2015". Sure its a bit misleading, but so is the original article.

Wow that goes to great lengths for customer service right there. Incredible, incredible stuff. I posted elsewhere a few places about Thunderbird, I guess I didn't here. I will say go ride it, it's incredible. The theming is pretty cool, it's not Disney or anything, but it's neat. I found more impressive theming walking the Queue with the flickering lights & barn atmosphere than I did on the ride IMO. The launch is great, almost Intamin strength. Smooth and fast for sure, not jolting hard, but very close. The forces on that ride are phenominal. The vest on the OTSR needs to be there, this is perhaps the most forceful coaster B&M has made since the 90's and early 2000's. The efficiency of the ride is great too. Right when the train stops in the ready brake, the train in station is dispatched. Perfect interval, everytime. Then the efficiency of the ride itself. Magnetic braking, only three friction brakes on the whole ride, all of them practically never used. Just perfect piece of engineering and efficiency to the last drop. Only flaw I see isn't in anything of the ride. I noticed while I was there three semi generators in the giant area of land cleared next to the station with possibly hundreds of electrical conduits running from the trailers to green transformer next to the ride station. Maybe an issue with the new substation Holiday World built for the park or the Will Power flywheel building not working? Interesting for sure to say the least. Now I'm curious what all that land cleared out is going to be for.