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Qscott86 I am getting the info you need to satisfy your very misguided mindset on what parks do and also do for security protection of their guest to include theft and robbery. I am shocked that before you eevn posted what you just said that you did not even do a google search. For the record I was not referring to that Kings Island was stealing and even put it in parenthesis. If you are going to accuse me of saying something then try reading my post first before you respond.. I truly hope you take some time to back up what you expect others to do as I will be giving you a list very shortly so I hope you have the decency to back up what you claim the parks do not do. Browntggrr - I will be responding to your post too shortly with those facts as well, you know how I feel about your post and the the thought you put into them but this one I an going to keep adding references here and just edit as i find the links for you; http://corporate.dis...y_security.html Don't miss this one it is good even about security cameras in the park http://tapmag.com/20...urity-presence/ http://www.blooloop....rk-Security/156 this next one is mostly about security cameras in the parks. http://www.securityc...ce-systems.html this next one is about a park that is going to add cameras after they had a problem. http://www.whotv.com...0,4543969.story http://www.securitas.com/us/en/customer-segments/Entertainment/Entertainment-and-security/

Tanna KICentral has a long history of supporting fellow members in overcoming their fears of tall rides.

I assure you Tanna Kings Island is very protective of their reputation and misinformation about them. They DO go to great lengths in time and expense to keep the park a safe and fun environment (front gate detectors). It hurts emotionally when someone steals from you, just imagine how it must feel to have your home invaded. In time most of those folks who have experienced that get over it and feel comfortable and safe again. I am sure you will too in time. Do not let that thief steal your happy place.

So let me get this straight it is cheaper and better for them to do nothing for deterrent of theft (I am not saying KI is) at the risk of getting a bit of a reputation for thievery. Hmm I wonder if they decided afterwards that they no longer wanted that reputation in fear it would hurt their business. How much would that cost and how long would it take to shed that reputation? A water park could solely leave it up to the customer but a reputation is a perceived thing and could be very costly.

Yes and they are discussing it in the Kings Island Coming Attraction area of the forum in the topic titled "Halloween Haunt 20011" which can be accessed through this link http://www.KICentral...showtopic=24140 I refer discussion about KI Halloween Haunt 2011 coming attractions there. Topic now closed.

TheLip2 thanks for reporting what you have seen or experienced so far on this matter. Before I go on let me say welcome to KICentral. I have used Disney Fast Pass system for many years now and love it, I know how to maximize their Fast Pass to the point we never wait in a line all day, Honestly. Neither the Disney Fast Pass system or Kings Island Speed Lane is set up to accommodate the the locals or season pass holders, but rather both give the whole day visitors and ones who visit here and there and opportunity to have a great day at the park out of the lines. The difference here as GYK describes is Kings Island has a large Season Pass base and Kings Island is seasonal. Could Kings Island use a system like Disney probably but would it be worth the cost considering the target markets and what they could make out of it. As much as I would love to have the Disney type system I feel it is very unlikely that it will be installed anytime soon. Thanks for getting into the conversation and offering what you feel may work and who knows your suggestion may prove us all wrong. I look forward to you posting more and adding to the conversations here on KICentral.

Just in case you missed these threads here is a link to them, http://www.KICentral...showtopic=24131 http://www.KICentral...showtopic=24150 This will help you understand some of your accusations about Cedar Fair and the mindset of the new personnel. Your last paragraph of your post does not quite jive with what we now know. How is it you know those who buy the Speed Lane will not buy more in the shops or eat at a sit down restaurant in the park? In fact maybe those who would pony up the $50.00 may be a great target market to keep out of lines. So at the end of the day did they just get the $50 or did they get a lot more from them in additional spending. Most coaster enthusiast I know can not marathon on coasters with out a break. I do not believe that most of the ones who purchase the Speed Lane will be riding marathon style.

Welcome to KICentral afkifan. Sounds like you plan on going to Kings Island this Saturday. If you do I hope you enjoy your visit and manage to stay cool. I would like to ask you to do something for us here if you would like and it would be appreciated by many here. When/if you go Saturday could you report back to us on how/if the new Speed Lane affected you in waiting if at all. You have a unique opportunity to give us some great feedback as you say this may be your only visit this year to kings Island. I am not asking you to go out of your way or to alter you visit in any way but to just give us a unbiased report after your visit to Kings Island. Sometimes us members here tend to bring in our biased views on a subject then exaggerate in our post. It would be of great interest to me as I know others would be interested as well to hear about how the Speed Lane did/did not affect you while waiting in line for a Speed Lane attraction. If it affected your enjoyment or even if you noticed a difference. The thing to keep in mind if you do report back to us is to make sure you go into it with a open mind with no biased or preconceived opinions on the Speed Lane. I wrote this after your first response about 4 posts back. I see now that you may consider in paying the $50.00 to try out the Speed Lane if it is too busy. If you do please report back on how that worked for you. But above all else please have a great time and again welcome to KICentral.

I agree with BoddaH that a Speed Lane of some sort is here to stay and quite possibly it would have never left if it was not pushed out after the last ownership change. I also think that the last time Kings Island had the speed lanes that it was fairly new and people had stronger opinions about it then as opposed to now after they have used it or gotten used to it in other parks. I see both sides and honestly may even use it if the opportunity comes about that makes it worth my while, but on the other hand the selfish side of me knows I will loose more time over the years of visits that I will save in the once or twice use I would get out of it. I do feel the extra wait will be minimal in most cases. I think it would be great if this conversation would move more in the direction in how KI could make it better for both sides of the queue. Like what rides should be included or taken away from th system to include shows and waterpark attractions. Also how maybe some seats of certain attractions should be used for this or limiting the number of Speed Lane users that can board on a certain train or cycle of a attraction.

Last summer my family and I went to Sea World for a day after several long days at other Orlando theme park visits. Needless to say our feet were very sore and the thought of standing in line was daunting so we looked at possibly using their Quick Queue which was cheaper as it was the off season, we did not care about riding tons of rides over and over but more worried about standing. We debated for a bit and decided to use our hard earned money to go to the Hawaiian Lual Sea World offered at closing. We made the right choice for us but it was tempting especially seeing some go ahead of us while our feet ached. The thing is we never thought of ourselves as second class citizens or that others were made of money but we made or decision which was best for us and they made theirs.

I believe the park wants this discussion, so no closing of this thread. I admit a few post have been edited or removed for and against the new Speed Lane. I believe this discussion is good to have so we may be able to better understand all sides of the issue and I am sure Kings Island wants to hear the differing opinions too.(keep it respectful)

^^ How do you know this? Kings Island may have wanted the Speed Lane for a long time but due to the then president they could not. So maybe the idea was discussed when Mr. Ouimet came to visit Kings Island and so the now president said yeah lets do it. Then almost overnight Kings Island had a Speed Lane. Maybe it happened like that maybe it did not happen like that. Just curious how you are so confident it did not.

Double or triple post is when one makes a series of post in consecutive order with no one else posting between. Exception to that is due to a period of time like hours or days between. Many others have been doing this latley in the other forums mostly to respond to others post. We have started to merge those as well. Since this is your report about your day I feel you may post with all words in caps as an expression but please do not do that in the other forums. You may also consider next time that if you want others to read a report that you took the time to do, that you write it in a way they take interest in reading such as not capitalizing all your words. Glad you got to spend some time at Kings Island with your mother. i hope it was memorable for you both.

Just to be clear about Disney World Fast Pass and how it works. Yes it is free to anyone who has a paid park admission for that park for that day. The fast pass machine gives only so many tickets for each hour for that day. You can get a fast pass say at 1PM for a return time of 5PM with the current wait of 45 minutes. Same goes new and top guest pick rides, the fast pass distribution goes quick and is often out before 11AM for the rest of that day. Many locals in the area and park hopping folks complain about the fast pass because tit does not help them. Basically it helps the out of town and once in a while visitors get a chance to make sure they get a ride on their favorite attraction. If the locals plan to stay in the same park all day and not leave after a few hours then yes fast pass works for them as well. Reading some of the post in this thread makes me wonder if some of you really think that if someone buys the Speed Lane Pass at Kings Island that that makes them an elitist.

Few thoughts here but first let me point out that this year alone Kings Island added Dinosaurs Alive and now other CF parks are looking to do the same and now Kings Island is been tapped to tryout the new Fast Lane Queue system. It seems CF has a lot of intrest in seeing how things work and is perceived at Kings Island. that I believe that boles well for us park enthusiast and is worth of taking note of. Now the Fast Lane; Cedar Fair parks are about the only ones not to have some type of fast system when it comes to the bigger chain parks, so in a way I am surprised it has not been incorporated yet. Gold pass only got tickets to ride a select few rides and a choice of a a couple select rides and that was a one time use ticket for that day. I believe the price of $50 right now is reflective of the busiest part of the season and will help them gage the popularity and proper price points going forward. I do not buy into this gives some a advantage over other guest on lines for rides. The system is for everyone to purchase regardless. (please to not go into a class warfare thing because that is so misguided and i will freak out) I feel sorry for those who snarly at those who utilize the speed pass as they do not know if it was a gift or that they won a contest or have two - three hours to ride their favorite rides due to other commitments. I could go on and on for the reason some may use the system but not as many reason to excuse those who act snarly. I think this system can be used in a wide variety of ways for the park to make additional revenue or to use it to help promote other causes and interest. I understand how others feel and I share this in some ways too, that the gold pass members do not get very useful benefits and feel that Kings Island could improve in that area. But I do not feel GP members should get the Speed Lane for free. Maybe a discount of sorts or we could put our heads together and list some realistic perks we would like to see.

Welcome to KICentral MEakins I think it would be a failure on anyone's part to try and compare Cedar Point and Kings Island as a apples to apples caparison. Cedar Point is more of a destination park which a big portion of their attendance are folks who travel there and often stay in the area. While Kings Island has that too they also enjoy a much larger Season Pass base who visit often and make several day trips. I have felt several years back Kings Island (Cedar Fair) did a much better job with special events that inclined me to make special trips to Kings Island more often. I see both having a unique visitor base vastly different from each other and I hope that always continues.

It does not matter what we think should or should not be done with SOB. The powers who will make that decision feel and have said so publicly that it is premature to make a decision at this time. Enough said. Topic now closed

Well your answer just sums it up and it looks like the virtual pass will be a true winner for everyone. People like myself who reduce their visits due to lines on the weekends will be able to go during the busier times of the season to enjoy some rides. Cedar Fair will make some more money to satisfy the shareholders by pleasing some of their guests. The non virtual pass guests won't mind watching other guests pass them by in line because the lines are not that long . Sounds like a win win for everybody and the new Cedar Fair president has just showed his brilliance in being able to please everyone.

Lets not! How about showing him the potential Kings Island has and letting him know there is a large season pass base who would love to have more reasons to visit more often.

Every generation matures over time and gains experience and wisdom as each year passes. Maybe mature reality is what this country needs/will need.

Standbyme I am loving this thread great find and thanks for sharing with us. About the Balloon race thing keep in mind that hot air balloons and balloon races had somewhat of public interest back then everywhere. Due to them needing to use the space between the International Restaurant and the Royal Fountain they need them to hurry the process a bit so they might as well call it a race and possibly give the crowd another reason to take interest. Below is a video my family took of one of the balloon inflation and take off back in the early days of Kings Island opening years. <iframe src="http://www.phanfare.com/embed/1009485-5016838-133033076-e045ec4e309043d8345a1eee4b2f88cd" frameborder="0" height="427" width="640"></iframe> Well Snowman here is some of those members at a bit of a reunion of sorts several years back on Saturday May 24, 2008, they played early in the day of the historical Robbie Knievel jump day. The name did change at some point to call them the Clown Band and many of those played back in 1975. <iframe src="http://www.phanfare.com/embed/1009485-1685809-26385728-ca36db522ac9377024145aeec1ca2406" frameborder="0" height="480" width="640"></iframe> notice the song they played Oh how I wish i could still walk into Kings Island and hear the sound of that band. It just started the day off in fun way. I want to share another picture that i think captures a then and now story about that band. Ok just two i could not decide. OK just one more then I will quit, but man do I MISS THIS BAND and the ATMOSPHERE they provided.

Who am I to not take your word for it about others who tell you their opinion about HW. I own a small business and see numerous customers on a daily basis and I rarely ever hear a negative word about HW and never once have heard the word boredom used to describe their day at HW. Understand this is what many customers, family and friends tell me knowing my love for Kings Island, As one who has been to HW first hand and being much older than 10 with most family and friends above the age of 10 HW is a great place to visit for any age. I understand that some may not enjoy HW for their own reasons but I know tons of enthusiasts to include mainly coaster enthusiast who love HW and go out of there way to go there to include passing by KI. CodyDL many coaster enthusiasts enjoy visiting out of the way theme parks to experience for their-self and like traveling to do so, if you are in that category then I would suspect you will be glad you made the journey. I could name many theme/coaster enthusiast and fan club members who travel great distances to enjoy what HW has to offer and often return for another visit. Please understand every park including Disney has their cynical critics and you should understand who you get your reviews from if they are that important and if they have actually even been to HW. I would bet if you are at all tempted to travel that far to go to HW then you are a enthusiast at heart and will not be disappointed. I will give deference to those who say HW waterpark is a big part of their enjoyment factor but as one who enjoys water parks a lot Holiday Worlds waterpark has a great atmosphere to include live band performances. Let us know what you decide to do or should I say let us know how it was and if it was worth the trip. I know several who have traveled further and above age 10 who have enjoyed more than one visit. Have fun!!!

As I have stated before it looks like great things are coming to Cedar Fair parks. Maybe it is just me and maybe it was just a slip on Mr. Ouimet's part or again sloppy reporting, I have always heard that one should never say (especially top management) " I want to work for_____". But rather they should always say "I want to work WITH ____". When one does that they are telling the company they have something to offer by working with them versus giving out a vibe of they are looking to run things as has been or following protocol under their present title. That very sentence says a lot to many who know the difference. Some of you members who are looking for a job in the future may try to use the "I want to work with_____" approach on your next interview and ones who are currently employed may want to try to use the "I work with___", you may find it helps you try harder and understand you do have something to offer. I know I know my old man rambling is slipping out again but honestly I know that has helped me understand my roles in life and I bet Mr. Ouimet said Work With or meant to, as that is the more truthful situation.

That last paragraph is what got my undivided attention too. When I hear comments about trying to satisfy the unit holders by putting the customers first brings a huge smile on my face and know that Cedar Fair's best days are to come. I embrace that theory whole heartedly.

I hear you CedarPointer but I feel most do read the signs in general and if not I do also believe they know what is acceptable in general to the park and the public. To add to that I feel many feel the signs non enforced suggestion/rule and proceed with their own standards of what is acceptable to them, they will carry on until someone says something to them.