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Yep not to busy, cooler and festive. Notice in the video at the Poly that one set of fireworks is higher that the rest, well in the park it is that way so it can be seen above the castle. They do an amazing job day after day.

Ahh great trip report I am glad you finally got to go and share your adventures there. I have never got to ride Maverick when they had all their theme working it, so I am really looking forward to riding Cheetah Hunt. I would love to be able to live so close to Central Florida to experience the parks often like yourself.

Thanks for sharing I never tire seeing Disney celebration firework shows, I have experienced Hollowishes first hand in and out of the parks and I really appreciate the size and coordination of all the different aspects it takes them to poll a show like that off. Thanks for sharing colonel_SOB_fan

It is still there. I have stayed there a few times over the years and I can share with you that parts of it seems very run down and other parts of the resort kept up to date. In my opinion it was hit or miss on getting a decent room. For the same money I have found staying elsewhere in Cincinnati including just across the river to be a more comfortable and fun way to stay in the area. During the summer months the motel/hotel/resorts charge much more the closer you get to Kings Island so you need to just decide on the convince of being closer or for the same price but further away many more comforts and perks. We also have been known to stay on the north side of Cincinnati but further away from Kings Island to save money to be spent on splurges at the park.

Yep and in all honesty the perk of the Speed Lane is what got us to become Season Pass holders versus just being a once a year or two visitors to Kings Island. Due to work we were forced to come on weekends only and we hated the lines so when we seen that perk we decided to take the plunge and go more often and we are glad we did. See before we did not see the value of the season pass living almost 2 hours away but now it is hard to vision not going more often to enjoy Kings Island over the Spring, Summer and Fall times of the year to include all the events during those seasons. In my opinion perks are are suppose to entice Season Pass sales, to promote more visits to the park and to include specials to get season pass holders to spend more at the park. If Paramount did not offer the Speed Lane perk we would have not took the plunge and if the current perks were offered then I can say with almost 100% certainty that we would not have became season pass holders and seen the benefits of the park without the perks and that would have been a crying shame. I am not knocking the current perks but besides the parking the others are used seldom but do understand many guest love the current benefits. I know times change and so will the perks in time maybe they will be of more value to us or not but what ever they become or stay the same we see the value of Kings Island for our family time. An example of this is that many of you know we are huge Disney World fans and we took advantage of their off season special perks for over 5 years well they changed the terms and now we have no trip planned and probably will stay off site until the specials get better. Will we still go to Disney World over time?.... Yes but in a way that fits our style better.

Paramount offered the Gold Pass Speed Lane as their perk of choice in their later years. To answer you question directly Interpreter, Paramount did offer early opening for Boomerang Bay at least for the 2006 season and I believe for a few years before then for Gold Pass members. Not that they went overboard to make sure it was of great value to pass holders as I asked in a report clear back in 2006 http://www.KICentral.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=8031&st=0&p=129795&hl=+when%20+is%20+a%20+perk%20+not%20+a%20+perk&fromsearch=1entry129795 So yes Paramount did open areas early and even offered some ERT on some attractions.

Sounds like a great cause count me in and signed up! 1) Avatar/Jesse

I heard Typhoon Lagoon reached capacity today, so i wish you well tonight and hope you do get a chance to see the show high above at the Kingdom tonight.

Sorry that happened to your hard work. If you redo your report just know I and I am sure others are interested in hearing about your trip, especially from your unique perspective.

It is a struggle for me to make gold pass ERT at Kings Island so it makes little difference to me which rides are open for ERT. If Kings Island feels they need to switch back to DB and The Beast for ERT I am sure it was due to many others response of Gold Pass holders other than what is here or they decided due to consistency sake the switch back is good for customer service.

I do not care if members whine about something at the park as long as they explain why they feel the way they do versus just saying something like "the music sucks". In addition I do not mind if members whine about others whining about something at the park as long as they do so respectfully and with thought, basically enlighten them and help them understand the other side of the issue. Otherwise I see no difference in those who whine about something at the park and those who whine about the whiners. I see them equally in my eyes. Since this thread has turned into a bunch of whining post including this one from an Admin this topic is now closed.

This was a great trip report, nicely presented and a fun read. I have heard great things about the Columbus Zoo for a long time and your report has helped move that trip to a higher priority on our list. Thanks for taking the time to share your experience.

For what it is worth I understand what you are saying Bennett and respect your opinion on the matter. I really appreciate that you have done so in a thoughtful way which is always good for discussions on these type of issues.

Through the years this very topic comes up every year if not every other, either in its own topic or tucked away in another topic. I see both sides of this issue and at this point I think anyone who has cared to has added or has had plenty of time to add their opinion in this topic. I hope we have all had an open mind about all sides of the issue and we have a better understanding of the subject. At this point I do not feel any further value can be of benefit on future postings in this topic as it seems discussions are turning a bit personal and just a rehash of what we already have learned to include some great recommendations. This topic is now closed

So after all this time you decided to stop in and knock KIC members around a bit, you are right "some things never change". Good to hear from you TheKlockster I hope all is well your way

Well those are the ones the current crew likes to make fun of and call names, I will hold off my comment about their hopes and expectations until the new crew arrives. Everything changes over time.

I am a big theme fan so I hope with this announcement we do see some improvements in that area but hope is my only expectation at this point. Disneyland has great customer service so I look for that to stay at current levels or better if at all possible. What I see here that I have not seen brought up yet is the fact that Disneyland has a HUGE annual pass guest base and considering Kings Island also has a very healthy season pass guest base I believe we will have someone at the helm who appreciates and knows how to utilize that guest base to its fullest. The kicker here is that he has resort and hospitality experence too so everyone wins. Great choice and I am excited to see the direction Cedar Fair goes from here, exciting times ahead for park enthusiast who take casual interest in the parks.

Nice pictures and I enjoyed the family shot with all the Reds Gear on.

Looks like you guys had a great day at Kings Island, thanks for sharing it with us.

Great job as always Indyguy and good to hear that the whole family enjoyed DA. P.S. Nice surprise ending, now where are my dancing shoes?.

I enjoyed your trip down Coney Mall memory lane, I really enjoyed it!!!

I would love to post in this thread but I am afraid I may put a foot-er two in my mouth. I say tomato you say tomahto.

I enjoyed your report and WOW great pictures. This one made me laugh WindSeeker has bucket type seats, so how are guest expected to keep their arms and hands inside the ride and our feet...well that seems to be a impossible rule to follow!

I absolutely 100% agree with both your posts Snowman!!!! Thanks for bringing this topic back up and giving us all an opportunity to reflect in whatever our roles are at the parks.

Snowman I appreciate your post and for shedding some light of what some of the ride-ops go through on some days. I am guilty of trying to joke with ride-ops at times and this past weekend had a very similar example of what you described, but with a different outcome. Let me share; This past weekend I attended Cedar Points Coaster Mania Event with two great friends and got to share conversations and rides with other KIC members. Well on one of those days when I was with my travel friends we went to get on a ride and a child ahead of us needed to be checked for height, well without thinking but in a joking way I told the ride-op that you may need to check my friend too. The ride-op without skipping a beat smiled and said OK and proceeds to raise the stick up to almost the top of his head and said I don't know but yeah go ahead. We walked away laughing about the situation and shared some fun vocal jabs back and forth. I know the rid-ops work hard and they must be very tired and frustrated working in the outdoors. I did not mean any disrespect to the ride-op and was just a trying to be funny by taking advantage of the moment. Here is the thing in the two situations of the one you shared and mine. Which guest went away feeling jovial and which one felt a bit embarrassed and humbled? The thing is we all are human and at times we may try to be funny when out with friends and say things without too much thought on a whim, but does that make us bad…no it does not. The ride-ops have a never ending opportunity to decide how they want to handle these types of comments. I do believe as you say "They're there all day, and clearly have repeatedly used much better zingers than anything a guy on a date could come up with" but hope they remember how they would want to be treated on their day at a park with friends and will respond appropriately to the situation. The ride-ops are truly on the front line and in many ways are part of the face of the park they work for and can make a big difference in a guests experience even if they are kind of jerks at times.