The Interpreter

I have been WELL pleased with Six Flags Over Georgia this year. I have been there like four times, which is for me some sort of record. Been to Great Adventure once, and to Kentucky Kingdom. And this weekend, I am going to SFA, and I intend to hit Six Flags Over Texas soon, as well as Great Adventure again. There is an excellent chance I will be at Magic Mountain in July. I only have so many park visits in me. I have yet to make a second visit to any Paramount Park this year, though I do intend to get back to Carowinds. That all being said, it's early. Let's see if the staffing levels and enthusiasm hold until, say, July. And the Papa John's Pizza at Six Flags is NOT reasonable. $6.99 for a slice of pizza is absurd. (The cheesebread is usually only $2.45 at the parks, though; and quite the steal by comparison). The Panda at SFOG is also very good and reasonably priced.

Having been on Astroland's Breakdance at hyperspeed for like 20 minutes at a time...I must say this idea is intriguing....I can just imagine what Astroland's operators would do with that!

You MUST see the shows. The R and B show is among the best I have seen in a park. And did you notice that EVERY restroom is attended ALL the time? I, too, am amazed at SFOG this year. At SFGAd this year. Even with SFKK, though not quite as much. I guess soon I will find out if I am as amazed with SFA...

If haunting is possible, the spirit of Ruth Voss is no doubt now going through the park, rattling chains, trying to bring back the park and Beast of which she was so very justifiably proud...

I don't have a clue what you are talking about. At least last year, Cedar Point didn't even have metal detectors....

Be still my heart. Not only dangerous but illegal and STUPID.... And on Vortex, achieves nothing ride wise...at least not for this old codger...

Admiral Style???

The smoothest seat by far is the middle row of the back car. The fronts of the car are actually quite a bit rougher than the middle seats. From my experience, the most intense seat on the entire ride is the front row of the fourth car. Ironically, the back seat of the back car is not all that bad. Hopefully, once it reopens, all the seats will be just grand. Wonder if they are making any changes to the trains again?

I believe this site is a "complete guide" to Paramount's Kings Island. Both positive and negative. And parks like feedback, positive and negative, so long as it is constructive and in the appropriate forum. This is not just a fan site, where only positive, gushing praise is allowed in topic after topic. If you think this place is harsh (and it is not--the moderators here do a fantastic job), you should visit "fan sites" for places like some of the Six Flags parks, or even for Disney. Those who most love a place are often frequently among the first to see its problems, problems that, if corrected, can give a park opportunities to do what it can do best---amuse, delight and please its customers. And no, you aren't the only one that can read. But by far the vast majority of people who have gone to a park for many years standing do not get on a website to investigate before they go this year, and certainly if they do, they do not do it in great detail. They are going to have fun, not go on some sort of work trip where intense planning is a requirement. The park opening time on the calendar remains the same...what isn't is when International Street opens. And there are a lot more of those occasional visitors who spend a lot more money than of the so-called fans. They are entitled to a voice, even here. If some of the changes that have taken effect this year stay that way, PKI has the potential to become much more like Geauga Lake, where policies and changes made by Six Flags during its tenure there (not enough food stands, understaffing, too many rides with too small midways, price gouging, not enough training in customer service--just for a start) and a couple of really bad decisions by Cedar Fair since it bought it (like building the waterpark with non-union labor right in the middle of union country) have resulted in a virtually deserted park. Last year, virtually never was there a 30 minute wait for anything. This is not a fate that I, among many, want to see for a park we love so much...love so much we feel we can and should point out the problems. And for that I am NOT going to apologize, to you or anyone else. This site is not yours. It is not mine. If I am not welcome here, I will be told. And away I will go....

And even more will no doubt change in a big way this season and in seasons to come. I agree, updating that book would be a GREAT idea.

Cedar Point doesn't open until next weekend. The following Friday, May 12, Geauga Lake opens. That park is NOT to be sneezed at. It has a large coaster collection, a good waterpark, a nice setting, and a few problems left over from its Burke & Story Six Flags Days, which it is working on. And the $24.95 ticket price is a good deal, too.

No, but they could have been open for a couple of weeks before the park opened, as they had been in the past. Whatever, this is a transition year, and what has happened has happened and no one can change that. Perhaps the next owner will be more customer service oriented than Paramount Parks aka CBS has been of late. Let me say this, though. It is NOT the employees working at the park's fault. People at KI are cheerful, professional and trying their best to do a great job in some very trying circumstances. Be nice to park employees. They deserve it!

What's the HELP program?

And the biggest problems with this have been with guests coming to the park from many hours away..on day trips. The park has not done a good job of letting guests know the park is no longer open before 10. Locals and season passholders are not the problem. It's the people coming from 2-4 hours away who are not amused. Those coming from further are usually also okay, as they have stayed the night before in a hotel. These daytrippers are a major source of park profit, as they buy one day tickets and often stay inside the park and buy food and stuff. Herding them into an entrance plaza for up to an hour before letting them in the park is just not a good thing, no matter how you try to pretty it up.

Indeed...and of ALL the giant boat ride/slides I have done, ONLY Congo does this. No other one at any other park!

You couldn't be more right! I am certain that Busch was pleased to sell the Ohio operation to Six Flags. It is very difficult to make a seasonal theme park with animals work. Great Adventure does a great job of it in New Jersey, but then that park is sandwiched between two huge metro areas and can draw visitors from both...NY and Philly...

YOU get over it. People have other choices, as well. I have plenty positive to say about PKI, but unless the negatives are also pointed out (and I do that both here and at GR), there will be little hope of the bad things changing. The park is NOT there just for season passholders...

Yes, there IS airtime on Congo. I'll vouch for that. He's not all wet. Or maybe he was, after that.

Yeah, SFWofA was SOOO successful, we all know what happened there....

And those lines would have already died down, had the park done the off season processing it had done in the past....

Excuse me, but on two separate occasions, I have watched guests ask to use the bathroom, and be told that they must wait until the park opens. I know what I saw. And I know how VERY unhappy the guests were. They both waited til the park opened, used the bathroom, went straight to Guest Relations, got their parking money back and left the park! I doubt either EVER goes back. Perhaps the "potty policy" changed after their complaints. Perhaps not.

Actually, I think marketing does. It's Admissions that apparently doesn't. And revenue seems to be driving the Paramount train, to the exclusion of customer service these days. $16 meals at Skyline, anyone? No off season pass processing? Not open the gates until the park is totally open for business? Oh, wait...most shops don't open til noon. And then they want to know if I would buy breakfast in the park? At 10? I don't eat breakfast that late, thanks. I used to buy breakfast in the park a lot. At that French bakery kind of place....you know....where Starbucks is now.

I'm sorry.

Call your local Meijer and ask first. I bet it is only the ones near the park. . . Meijer is great at customer service. I bet your local one could tell you (or find out) where the closest Meijer to you that sells KI tickets and passes is. Also, at least recently, Meijer has been selling a "buy three passes, get one free" deal.

Don't forget there is also the option of buying at Meijer, though the pass still must be processed at the park.