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Visited last night and it was very empty. Went to Coney and got my favorite side during Winterfest, Corn Souffle! Got two station waits on Mystic, a 5 minute wait on Racer, and about a 25 minute wait on Flight of Cheer. Watched the parade, and had a great night!

I ate at the Winterfest buffet tonight. I must say, this might have been the best experience I've had in the IR (and I've had a lot of good ones!). The turkey was very good, along with the carved beef, but the real stars of the show were the mashed potatoes and stuffing. It's "easy" to make mashed potatoes good, but how in the heck do you make stuffing the star of the show? Well, Chef Perez seemed to find a way! It had something to do with the super-fresh breading along with a hint of jalapeño. A friend of mine passed on the stuffing at first because he "doesn't like jalapeño" (different friend with a limited palette, not Don!) but he was convinced to try it and admitted that it was some of the best stuffing he had ever had! It worked so well! I didn't take photos of the food because that's already out there, but here is a photo of the setting/view: Also, it was originally reported the desserts were and uncharge. Either that wasn't accurate or the policy changed because we got desserts as a table service at the end of our meal. There were three or four options. I opted for the dark chocolate brownie with peppermint garnishing. It was also one of the better sweet treats that I have had at the park. The cost was $40, minus a ~10% discount for season pass holders. I know it's kind of tough to fork out a cash for a meal when you have the meal plan, but if you have the means, you really should do it! If you look up the buffet on the web site, it prompts you for New Years Eve tickets; however, don't be confused because this is first come, first serve, walk up. I highly recommend checking the web site if you intend to eat the buffet as it is only on select dates. https://www.visitkingsisland.com/events/winterfest/attractions/international-restaurant-winter-buffet It was tough to forego the limited-time-only Holiday Meatloaf Burger for this, but no regrets!

Adding to the Vortex spot first is my vote. Then focus on AZ.

It's a great experience. And look at the bright side: if it's sold out, you can go ride Mystic Timbers, The Racer, flight of Cheer and get a meatloaf burger!

I believe that this picnic grove existed until Face/Off / Invertigo was installed in 1999. From what I understand, there are still some remnants there; however, it's not much to write home about. If you look over in that area from Invertigo's lift hill, you can clearly make out that the land was unnaturally formed. When I heard about this about five years ago, I think there were bicycle games (those temporary metal gates) stored there, but I haven't given it much thought since then. What I don't know is whether this was something inside the park, or if you could only access it from outside of the front gate. From what I've been told, it was less of a "picnic grove" and more of a set of picnic tables where people could eat from the coolers they brought. I never experienced this, so I'm only speaking from what I've heard. Any firsthand knowledge would be greatly appreciated! For those of you who have no idea what we're talking about, it's the clearing just north of Inverting.

Enjoyed my visit last night. I did not end up doing the buffet....but enjoyed my meal at Coney BBQ. Racer in December just hits different. So fun!!! Snoopy's Soap Box Racers was a nice addition. The lights around the train have been mostly fixed...there were still fixtures that left the people decapitated, missing an arm, or just not on at all. Music played which was a plus. Snow Works only allowed for 2-3 lanes to be used. I tried two of the cocktails, which ended up being good.

I'm hoping to visit this week to get in a couple rides on The Racer and Mystic Timbers.

I finally got to ride Racer yesterday at WF. A first time experience to ride it during this season and seeing the park all lit up in lights on the ride made it quite magical. I also love the ornaments in the station.