Oldiesmann

Personally, I think we could use one of these... (For those who have ever been to Kings Dominion, this is the same model as their Avalanche apparently).

I can understand them getting the year wrong, but if you know it existed, you should at least know that it didn't derail or kill 10-14 people.

I was more surprised by the use of the phrase "boy howdy". I could expect that in a southern small-town newspaper, but in an article from Fox News? Also, who publishes "top 4" lists?

The funny thing is, last week WCPO did a brief story about how safe things are at KI - showing how the state inspects things. Now the local stations are saying "Rides aren't as safe as you thought!". In reality though, there are way too many problems with the study mentioned in that article to take it seriously: Based on data from 100 "nationally representative" hospitals (only 100 hospitals. Out of thousands across the country). Includes data from rides at fairs/festivals/carnivals and malls in addition to those at amusement parks Does not estimate how many kids rode said rides Sure, 4400 is a lot, but not when you look at the big picture.

The rule is likely because they don't want to take any chances on people getting drunk and causing problems while in line.

On a lighter note, does anyone else find it funny that the season has just started and we're already talking about what's new for next year?

I'm sure that you can use the cups still, just not get the discount for the $.99 or the $1.99. The souvenir cups, are a limited time special (yearly) meaning they're redesigned each year. You can't use the old cups anymore. You have to buy a new one, which is smaller than the ones from the past few seasons.

KI's original sister park now has a Planet Snoopy as well. While there are some similarities to KI's, there are also quite a few differences. A fun and interesting read. http://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/201304/3464/

He is right about DA being a good deal compared to stand-alone dino parks. Dinosaur World in Cave City, KY (about 3 hours south of Cincinnati) is $12.75 for adults and $9.75 for kids (3+).

I need to make another trip down there at some point. I was there in 2011 and had a lot of fun.

Doing a Google search for more info turned up an old topic on the TripAdvisor forums about something similar: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g50618-i1001-k1250087-Night_before_tickets_to_King_s_Island-Mason_Ohio.html That was posted in 2007, and I'm not sure the park has any deals like that now (if they do, it's not on their website). Your best option would be to call the park and ask about any special ticket discounts they might have.

Interesting. I wonder what prompted that decision?

From what I understand, a great deal of it was recycled. That doesn't surprise me.

Sounds like you had fun You know it's a busy day when there's a 30-minute wait for Woodstock. Even on Saturdays the wait for that is rarely longer than 20 minutes.

They sold nails and pieces of the track to the public. I'm not sure what they did with the rest of the parts (brakes, block sensors, chain, etc.).

I'm also wondering how the manufacturer alone would automatically mean the new ride adds much more variety than anything from any other manufacturer. I would think the type of ride itself would make more of a difference in that area than who manufactured it - especially from the perspective of the average amusement park guest. If we were to get an Intamin launch coaster for instance, the average guest would be wondering why we got another launch coaster rather than being excited about it being an Intamin or about whatever would be different between that and Flight of Fear.

The park doesn't even offer anything like that to my knowledge, but the best option is to call the park and ask.

Quick question regarding that last video. What was that large orange/blue "bubble" building?

I haven't been to The Beach in 6 or 7 years, but in terms of landscape and environment, The Beach wins hands down. Far less concrete, a lot more trees, real sand and generally a much more laid-back relaxing atmosphere. In terms of slides/rides, it's a tough call. The Beach: The Cliff A racing slide which gives you airtime (that's right - airtime on a body slide...) a water coaster an enclosed dark tube ride The Pearl (heated pool) KI: More options Larger slides/rides Two wave pools Overall it really depends on what you're looking for. It's sort of like the difference between KI and Coney in some ways (or better yet, a large park like KI and a small family-owned park like Beech Bend, Camden, etc.)

My favorite parts were the emphasis of plastic and the ultrasonic dishwasher.

Fair Board approves 60-day lease extension http://www.wdrb.com/story/22076642/fair-board-approves-60-day-lease-extension-for-kentucky-kingdom-developers

Thanks for pointing that out. Hard to believe DA will be entering its 3rd season now. For some reason I thought it opened last year.

I just noticed that you can now get "street view" of KI on Google The images are from August of 2011, so DA is missing and a few other things are out of date, but it's still fun exploring the park during the offseason.

Done and done, thanks for the suggestion. Looks awesome. Thanks!

I don't know that I've ever seen The Partridge Family, though I'm a big fan of the group that the show was based on (The Cowsills).