FUN&ONLY!

From what I saw, the stage was literally just a small pad on the ground. It wasn’t anything special. I really didn’t look very closely at it because it was cold and rainy, but I saw it as I walked by. I could be wrong that it is for the show, but I don’t know what else the pad could be for. I really hope it’s not final because Carowinds’ Busker Jam looks really nice, and that would work really well in Rivertown.

I noticed a stage set up next to Rivertown Funnel Cakes today where the tables are (on the side closer to Mystic Timbers). I assume that is where Busker Jam will be performed. The stage isn’t really themed or anything like the Carowinds version of the show.

I think Kings Island moved workers from the food stands to security! LOL! But in a seriousness, I can confirm that there was a major increase in security. There were many security guards throughout the park, and there were also a lot of police cars around.

I am confused on the wording. Does Kings Island have 900 positions still available or are there 900 positions total that are getting $18 an hour including the ones that have already been filled? I am glad Kings Island is trying to address staffing issues, but I worry we may not see major capital investment for years.

I wonder the most about the line jumpers. I have seen Kings Island throw line jumpers out of line when they are reported in the station, but I have never seen line jumpers ejected from the park. To be honest, many times it is just a few kids joining the rest of their party and not even realizing it is line jumping. I do hope the park enforces these policies though.

That’s why there is park sweep! LOL! But in all seriousness, people litter their drink cups all over the park everyday, so the sweepers are just going to have one more thing to sweep up if these are littered. This card is actually really good in my opinion because it reminds people there are consequences for their actions. If tempers flare and fighting breaks out, they suffer the consequences.

I actually don’t mind this system. For regular guests, this allows them to still enter Kings Island before 11:00 AM, but they still don’t have the season pass holder benefit of Early Ride Time. However, the greeters need to be checking the season passes in order for it to work.

I just don’t understand why Kings Island’s social media has been so dormant. They used to post multiple times a day, and now they are posting nothing. All they need to do is say they are adjusting the hours and move on. It is just so strange how they are posting nothing at all. If none of the craziness had happened, they would probably be hyping up the new Area 72 Launch Party all week.

I am shocked that Kings Island has been dead silent on their social media channels since the events the unfolded on Saturday. They only posted that one Orion photo shoot picture on Monday. Kings Island usually posts at least once if not multiple times a day.

Kings Island probably had no choice no matter what the problem was, but I am very disappointed. The last few hours on a 10:00 PM close day are always my favorite. I might go once weekday operations start, but I really will be waiting for 10:00 PM closes on the weekends. I really can’t wait until 10:00 PM weekday closes, but I will have to wait until July for that. Cedar Fair is having a rough year for sure, and it is very sad to see.

Did Kings Island ever release a reason for cutting the hours? If I had to guess, it is because of what happened last weekend. Or Kings Island thought they had enough staffing for weekend operation, but now they are realizing that they are getting much larger crowds than they were expecting.

The most important thing Kings Island mentioned is that they now have a zero tolerance policy for this kind of behavior. I don’t think they had this before.

If the troublemakers were bussed in, a chaperone policy would probably not have stopped the fighting. Kings Island needs to let private groups know that there are consequences for their actions, and they should probably punish whatever groups sent the troublemakers on Saturday.

Are you referring to the new bandstand or the International Showplace. Because I kind of think the International Showplace is ugly.

Where would we ever find a large enough maintenance crew?

Unfortunately, you agreed to a huge list of terms and conditions when you bought the season passes. That long list of terms and conditions probably includes that the passes are non refundable.

I can only imagine if a chaperone policy were to be implemented the crowds at the main gate because the employees would have to ID everyone. They can’t just make an assumption that someone is so and so years old. If people forget their ID’s, then they will go crazy. The same people complaining about the incident on Saturday would then be complaining about how it takes hours to enter the park. Also, the employees who work scanning passes would have a really hard time enforcing this policy because I know people would be upset.

I feel like once weekend operations start, crowds will decrease and the lines will become much more manageable. I know Kings Island hitting full capacity is extremely rare, and it probably won’t happen once weekday operations start. Really what Kings Island needs is more days and hours of operation to meet the incredibly high demand. However, in terms of the fighting, I think Kings Island should just reaffirm on their social media and to news outlets that Kings Island is a safe place and announce something like a zero-tolerance policy for misconduct. What I fear if Kings Island does not reassure guests is that guests will call the police while at the park over every little thing which would draw more attention to the park.

If anything is announced at this point, it will probably be Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday before weekday operations start on Friday. I would have expected an announcement to come today if we were getting one, but I am not so sure we will get one at this point. By now, the vast majority of news stories have already happened, so an announcement wouldn’t be as effective. The statement Chad Showalter gave to the news promising action could literally have been the announcement. If this happens to just be a one time occurrence, and Kings Island knows this and that they can prevent the same thing from happening again, they may just keep quiet.

I could see Kings Island making some internal security adjustments but not going public with anything to prevent headlines that recall the incident. However, publicly announcing new security protocols could potentially ease some apprehensive guests. I could also see the park’s action being banning or at least punishing all guests involved in the fighting because it seemed like many of them were involved in many of the fights.

Kings Island did not have any notable staffing shortages this past weekend in the dry park. When the park reaches capacity, lines are just going to get really long whether the park is well staffed or not. At Halloween Haunt, for example, Kings Island receives very high attendance, and almost all food lines are pouring out onto the midways. Kings Island never has every single food and drink stand open, and only a few were closed this weekend. Chad Showalter even said that the park was appropriately staffed in the article linked below. Cedar Point had multiple rides closed and many more food stands closed than Kings Island has had, and that is what prompted them to require reservations and limit capacity. Kings Island really has no reason to start requiring reservations because even in a normal year, the amount of food locations open would really not be much different. https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cincinnati.com/amp/5231933001

Eliminating the drop-off area would not be a good idea. That would just give people an excuse to complain that Kings Island is forcing them to pay for parking. Also, I feel like a lot of people use the drop-off lot besides teenagers. I have seen employees in the drop off lot before.

That doesn’t mean Kings Island won’t invest in TLC. While I wish Kings Island did plant grass seed or put sod down when Orion opened, they still have repainted buildings and given The Racer some TLC.

Sorry for the double post, but it is funny how little of Orion you can see on Kings Island’s map. https://cdn-cloudfront.cfauthx.com/binaries/content/assets/ki-en-us/general-information/explore/directions/2021-ki-park-map-and-guide-digital.pdf

My guess is that Kings Island will post something tomorrow regarding yesterday and at least say something to ease guests’ concerns with some sort of enhanced security procedures or a chaperone policy. It is also notable that Kings Island has been very silent on social media today.