DeMoN

I don't know where a fireworks launch pad is back there but here is a link that you can go look at the area you are talking about. There is no Firehwk in this map but you can get a general idea. I am okay with a loading station behind the theatre so long as they leave a good distance away from The Beast and allow it to have its woodsy feel. They can have the new Roller coaster go out and back behind The Racer. It can work itself around the buildings back there and it can be done. Want proof look at some of the layouts for Cedar Points steel coasters namely MF. Link: http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&amp..._Kings%20Island

To begin with seeing the employees in restrooms for 2 hours was something I had observed during the Paramount tenure NOT Cedar Fair tenure. The past 2 years at Kings Island while under Cedar Fair I have noticed a big difference. Not just in this area but in the area of bublegum no longer stuck to things. Another thing welcome to the real world of employment. I don't care where you go you are more than likely going to have a manager you do not like that will put lofty expectations upon you. As I said I have worked at a carwash for minimum wage $3.75 at the time in the hottest of days and the coldest of days. You don't get much shade and get very little hydration. On top of that any tips given you had to split with the person helping you detail the car. Sitting in a car in 98 degree weather with 40% humidity detailing it isn't exactly the coolest job in the world. Working at a Nursery out in the heat answering people's questions about perennials and annuals, loading their vehicles with 60 lbs. bags of Top Soil mulch and peat moss while not being allowed to accept tips, taking care of the plants watering them blocking them stocking them again without much hydration isn't exactly a dream job. In the winter at the nursery you have to be out in the freezing weather for hours answering questions about X-mas trees. Loading X-mas trees onto and into cars without tips again not a dream job. Working for General Shale making bricks and loading them on skids and then trucks in hottest days of the summer and coldest days of the winter wasn't ideal either but it payed a little more. Working in a foundry pouring steel cast molds isn't exactly cushy again but it paid more. I have paid my dues and now I am using CAD programs and doing a job that provides some cooler temperatures and better pay. It definitely wasn't an easy road to this job however.

I didn't spend a few hours watching employees meet in the bathroom. When you go to the bathroom and 2 employees are in there talking then get in line for a ride for 2 hours upon exiting the ride you go to the bathroom and the same 2 employees are in there talking it becomes pretty obvious. It also doesn't have to be in a bathroom, I have observed them doing this out in the open in the past. All while standing in line for a ride. You can watch a lot of things while waiting in line for a ride.

To start off with I don't want to hear anything about minimum wage from current employees. When I started out in the work force I too started out at minimum wage and let me tell you $6.85 an hour at minimum wage is far better than the $3.75 I use to make. the 2 jobs I worked making minimum wage had no perks and believe me working at a car wash and a nursery you definitely felt the sweltering heat and even had to deal with the freezing winter. As far as resteraunt work goes keep in mind that a waitor makes around $2.00 and hour. They make their money off of tips which will greatly vary from day to day or week to week. Those tips also depend on their customer care and the services they provide to those customers. The job I work in now if you want to see safety you need to look no further. We are completely focused on safety of our workers. Not to mention the safety of our customers since we deal with aviation, one false step and planes are falling out of the sky. We strongly stress in the Zero/Zero safety idea's. Meaning Zero LWC's (Lost Workday Cases) Zero RI's (Recordable Injuries) and they stress it highly, so much so that it has been 5 years since we have had a recordable injury. We are members of safety first organization and participate in DuPont's STOP card program to recognize and fix problems before an injury can happen. Matter of fact our company has safety principles we have to work under that are printed out on our ID badges for us to see everyday. Those Safety Principles are: Accidents and injuries are preventable, Safety is a line-management accountability, You are responsible for your own safety, You are obligated to stop a job or refuse to perform a job if it is not safe or cannot be performed safely, Efforts in safety will yield results in safety, and most importantly Safety is a condition of your employment. We also have to sit through safety meetings every month where they train you to work safely in following proper SOP's etc. So safety is big in a lot of companies, and I would think it is just as important at an Amusement Park where millions of people visit each year as it is for us in the Aviation industry. Last I will comment on the cleanliness of Kings Island and Kings Island only. I have visited other parks but no park have I visited as frequently as I have Kings Island. I can not comment on Cedar Point or any other park because I have been to those parks far less than KI. I have been visiting Kings Island since 1977. I noticed someone on here mentioned they have only known the park since Paramount took over, and that is a shame really. Kings Island pre Paramount was an absolute treat, it was clean exciting, and just an absolute gorgeous park. During the Paramount era I noticed as well as the rest of my family the downgrade in cleanliness and friendliness. There were years where I was absolutely appalled at how unkept the park was. Trash all over the ground and Restrooms that were just in terrible shape. I remember frequently seeing the workers who were suppose to be cleaning having hours long meeting and chat sessions in the bathrooms etc. In other words not doing their jobs, mind you this was no 2-10 minute break to chat. Many times were there rude comments thrown out there. The last 2 years I have noticed more trash cans around the park, cleaner pathways, less meetings between workers for an hour or more to chat with each other. Friendlier workers towards the guests and in most cases vice versa. I remember vividly the nasty gum all over the que's on wood rails and just covered just about any where in the park during the Paramount era. I just visited the park on August 3rd and the contrast is HUGE absolutely HUGE with the pathways clean and gum no longer on the rails wood etc of the rides. Matter of fact I think I seen maybe 3 wads of gum total all day while at the park. Those 3 wads were high up on wood at the exit of The Beast and looked rather fresh. So I would say that there has been a big change in the cleanliness. That is not coming from a worker but a patron. For the most part on our visit with the exception of a couple of food stand we visited and maybe 2 rides all the employees were extremely friendly. The Beast crew was the most generous and friendly crew I have seen since the pre Paramount era. Take it for what it is worth but that is my opinion, my wife's opinion, and my 2 kids opinion. The latter are set and ready for another trip and that is what makes me want to come back.

Did you think about or actually tell Guest Relations about this? I'm sure they'd appreciate it. welchce, Actually I did send Guest Relations an e-mail stating all the good things about The Beast ride-ops. I didn't stop and say something that day because we were having too much fun, but I have sent an e-mail to let them know our appreciation. The Interpreter, I was not aware that the security would let you through during that time. I guess since I didn't see anyone doing it I was unaware that you could, but it is something I definitely will keep in mind. After a 2 hour trek sometimes you certainly could use the restroom right away.

Thank you all, My kids did have a wonderful time, we even had to fight with them to leave. It was just one more ride on this and just 1 more ride on that. The funnest thing is to watch their eyes on the big roller coasters, you wouldn't believe how big their eyes get when they are scared. As for some of the employees, I was bound determined not to let the small amount of them influence our trip. The large vast majority of employees were kind and corteous and there was no reason to get upset over the select few. I do have to say though The Beast Ride Ops stood out to me the most and we thank them from the bottom of our hearts. They eased my childs first experience in taming The Beast big time. My kids also got to sleep the whole way home while I had to drive. Little rascals now I know how my father felt when he use to do that with us as kids

My wife, 2 kids, and I made the trip to Kings Island on Friday August 3rd 2007. Leaving from Indianapolis it was to be a 2 hour trip to the park that holds so many of my childhood memories. We made excellent time on the drive there since I-74 in Indiana is now 70 mph until you hit Ohio. We did run into a construction slow down on I-275 around the I-75 exit, but the express lane to I-71 was nice and helped get through traffic a little easier. Once we got off at I-71 the traffic for the first exit was terrible (Morning Rush Hour I assume), but once we got around that exit it was smooth sailing. We made such good timing that we arrived at the park earlier than I had anticipated pulling up before the gates to the parking lot opened. After the gates opened we payed for our Premier Parking and headed off to park our vehicle. A small comment, the parking lot is in dire need of repaving! After we parked the vehicle we got out and all stretched our legs a little and headed up to the metal detectors. We waited in line for the metal detectors for about 30 minutes waiting for the front gates to open up. I wish they would have gone ahead and let people through the metal detectors and get in line at the turnstiles (a lot of people had to use the restroom but had to wait). We finally entered the park and went to put our belongings in a locker before we headed out to look around ($12.00 for a locker with getting $6.00 back when you turn in your key was a tad steep if you ask me). After putting things in our locker we went and had our pictures taken in front of the Royal Fountain by the picture monsters as my kids call them (only because everytime we went to our locker we were attacked by them). We proceeded to look around at the shops while waiting for the rides to open up. Eventually we stumbled our way over to the Octoberfest section of the park as the rides opened up. We took my 8 year old son and 7 year old daughter to Adventure Express for the first ride of the day (mind you they are terrified of the last tunnel on this ride). We got right on the ride and the kids had a blast other than the last tunnel. Next we headed over to The Racer, this would be my daughters first ride on a Roller Coaster other than the Fairy Odd Coaster. She was a bit scared, but she took it like a champ. One thing I noticed was the loose article policy change. On back to back rides my wife tried to put the backpack she had with us in the bins provided. The ride ops brought it back to her and told her to take it on the ride. This happened on almost all the rides throughout the day and was a little disappointing. I know they are not responsible for lost or stolen items, and putting things in the bins is a risk. I decided to take that risk, but now you can't even take that risk. Some of the ride ops were a little rude in tossing the backpack back at us, but the majority were rather nice. We had to bring a backpack due to my wife's medication and daughters inhaler among other needed items, and there was absolutely no money in the backpack. After a pleasant ride on The Racer we took the kids to play a couple of games. During that time my son and I went on the Scrambler, the Monster, and Shake Rattle & Roll because my wife and daughter don't like those rides. We then headed over to the Italian Job Stunt track and all got in line for it. My daughter chickened out and decided she didn't want to ride it. I told my wife I would get out of line with her but she insisted that she would sit out with her. So my son and I rode and it was a pleasant but far too short ride. The fire effects were not working when we rode it. I am still not happy with the removal of the Antique Cars and Flying eagles for this mediocre ride, they could have at least made IJST a little more exciting. After getting of this ride we headed over to The Beast as a family and it would be my daughters first ride on The Beast. She was very scared getting in line, and as we got into the seat she went into panic mode. I was very close to taking her off of the ride, but I really wanted her to experience The Beast 1 time at least. I kept telling her it was a lot like The Racer except a little longer and with tunnels. She decided to stay on the ride and the ride ops could tell she was scared and teary eyed. They continued to tell her she would be okay and it wasn't that scary just like I was telling her. Then the ride op asked if it was her first ride on The Beast and I told him yes. He asked for her name and I gave it to him. Before the ride left the station they announced "Keep your hands arms and legs inside the ride at all times, and have a great first ride Desteni" which I thought was awesome and I truly commend The Beast Ride Ops for this. When we pulled back into the station they asked "How was your ride Desteni". Again very commendable thing by The Beast ride ops, she was scared but she did enjoy the ride and yelled when we pulled in. After getting off The Beast we headed over to Potato Works to get the kids some fries with cheese sauce dip and us some bacon cheese fries. the lady at the counter was rather rude and unpleasing although I attributed it to her being alone at the time (we had some issues with rudeness at a couple of the food and beverage stalls which was disappointing considering the already high prices). After eating our fries we headed to Nick Universe to let the kids have a ball since my daughter took the big rides like a champ. We went as a family on Avatar (a great ride), Wild Thornberry's log ride, and Scooby-Doo and the Haunted Mansion, all were terrific rides. The kids rode every ride in Nick Universe while we were in that section and even had their swimsuits on and went into the spongebob water section to play. During that time my wife told me to go ride Delirium because her nor my kids wanted to ride it. So I headed off to make the trek over to Delerium, unfortunately Delirium had just went down for repairs and they didn't know how long it would be down. I was disappointed but I went and got in line for Firehawk knowing my wife and kids wouldn't ride it. I was in line and it was "Hot" the fans helped a little but it was still very hot. I was in line for Firehawk for about 15 minutes when the ride op asked if anyone was riding by themselves. I yelled that I was and the ride op moved me to the next train to ride with a group of 3. I rode on the yellow train, and it was a very fun ride although nothing spectacular. After exiting Firehawk I got in line for Flight of Fear and rode it. Still a nice ride and I only had to wait about 10 minutes in line. On my way over to Nick Universe to meet my wife and kids I stopped off to ride The Vortex (walk on ride). I still love Vortex but man does it throw you around anymore. I then met up with my wife and kids and told them what rides I went on while I was away. We then went out to our vehicle for lunch and sat down and rested for a little while. Upon re-entry into the park I felt bad for the Security at the Metal Detectors. They should be allowed to wear shorts on extremely hot days. I took the kids for a good view up in the Eiffel Tower (my wife wouldn't go with us). We then headed over to Delirium which had just re-opened and I got right on the first ride. This is still my favorite ride in the park, I wish I could get my wife and kids to try this ride at least 1 time. While I was on Delirium my wife took the kids to play some games. After I got off we went to Top Gun, and both the kids although scared at first really like the ride. We rode Congo falls while over there and decided to head back over to The Racer next. I took my son on his first ride of the backwards train on The Racer while my wife took my daughter on the frontwards train. We rode The Racer about 3 times in a row due to short lines. We then headed off to Spongebob Squarepants 3D which was actually Spongebob in 2D. It was okay to my wife and I, but my kids absolutely loved it. Afterwards we headed on over for our second ride on The Beast, and my daughter was a lot less scared this time around. We enjoyed many more rides, but I am stopping here because I am a tad bit busy. It was disappointing because the park had a sign that said Tomb Raider and Son of Beast would be closed all day. SoB opened later in the day but we didn't get to ride it with the new trains. Tomb raider stayed closed all day which did not surprise nor disappoint me one bit. If any ride was a complete waste of time, space, or money Tomb Raider would be that ride. I can't believe they took out a great historic log ride to put this in and ruin the Rivertown section of the park. I did like the new lighting for the Eiffel Tower and it made for a beautiful night time visual. The food was a little on the expensive side but I did expect that. My only wish is that we had a little friendlier service at a couple of spots where we got food (specifically Potato Works and the Ice Cream stand in Nick Universe). I also miss the fried mushrooms that I always use to get. They may still be there and I just didn't know where to get them from but I certainly miss them. Overall it was a great trip for our family and we look forward to visiting next year. The park was very clean as opposed to the Paramount days and I hope they keep up the good work.

Browntggrr, I hope they didn't mid-Demember anyone on the last press release, that would really hurt. I know what you meant and was just throwing that out there as a joke, typos can be fun at times. I will agree I don't see any harm and it definitely isn't bad for business, if anything it would be good for business. If some people want to buy SOB memorbilia and it isn't even running, more power to them. It still brings in money for the park.

To me they can solve this problem very easily. Let us say you are a family of 4 and purchase a season parking pass along with your season passes to get into the gate. You have your season passes to get into the front gate with your picture on it. Well they could issue a seperate card for season parking pass, and offer you the family package (as someone said $10 more or not) On that pass they put all 4 of your pictures. that way if I don't go but my wife and 2 kids go they can still use the season parking pass. It doesn't make sense to me that I have to buy a season parking pass for each person in my family when most of the time we would all be together. There can be that instance when I won't be going and my wife and 2 kids would go.

I know many people that hate Delirium, I personally love that ride. I also know others that think that Delirium replaced King Cobra and hate it for that reason. Even though I think Delirium sits where the shop was and maybe a small section of the helix. The rest of King Cobra was taken up by Slingshot and open land between SOB and slingshot.

Taken Directly from RCDB see the bold red print: Roller Coaster: Flight of Fear (2001 to ?) Outer Limits: Flight of Fear (1996 to 2000) Amusement Park: Kings Island (Kings Mills, Ohio 45034 USA) Classification: Roller Coaster Type: Steel - Sit Down Status: Operating since 1996 Make / Model: Premier Rides / LIM Coaster Designer: Ingenieur Büro Stengel GmbH Categories: Enclosed Lift / Launch System: LIM Capacity: 2000 riders per hour Length: 2705' Height: 74' 2" Inversions: 4 Speed: 54 mph Duration: 1:00 G-Force: 4.5 Elements: Cobra Roll Sidewinder Corkscrew Trains: 4 trains with 6 cars per train. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 24 riders per train. Riders must be 54" or taller to ride. The Flight of Fear originally had over the shoulder restraints. For the 2001 season, the over the shoulder restraints were replaced with lap bar restraints. It isn't quite clear how many of the original trains were converted to lap bar only restraints. The Flight of Fear originally had four trains with six cars each. Today only two of these trains seem to ever operate simultaneously with only five cars each. Some rumors indicate the sixth car may return in the future. Restraints: Individual ratcheting lap bar.

There were many problems with constructing SOB and there are still problems with the ride right now. Yes the SOB was done faster than The Beast, but technology has come a long way since the late 70's. I doubt the blueprints and models for SOB had much hand drawn sketches or models. I would bet most of SOB was done using a CAD program. Which can significantly speed up the process.

Boy did you just win the write a couple of paragraphs that are completely off the map. We have been bringing coolers (not just one) to Kings Island for several years now that the price of food and drinks are getting out of control. If you go to the park often enough to use your season pass you will notice as you are facing the front gates to your left is a picnic area. In it you will find many people that bring coolers up to the picnic tables and enjoy lunch with their family. You can't bring any of this inside the front gates, but they certainly aren't going to eject you for eating at your car. I also have never ever ever seen a sign that says you can't eat at your car or have a cooler in your car or that if you do either they will eject you. I also haven't seen anything that says they frown upon this, and if they did have something that said this they could only frown at themselves for it. Inside the park and parking lot are 2 totally different things. So if you pack you a lunch and eat in your car, you save money, you won't be ejected, and they won't take your Gold pass.

Just a small comment Flight Commander was a terrible ride and I am certainly happy it was removed. You were lucky to get in one that worked, they would either be stuck and not move, spin uncontrolably, or not respond at all. It just wasn't a very good ride except for maybe it's first year. Rides I truly miss are The Demon (my favorite also was eventually dubbed The Screamin Demon), Tumble Bug, Flying Eagles, Bayern Kurve, actually most of the old flat rides. I do miss being able to walk up the steps to the 50ft platform. I miss the clown band as well. The tram was a nice way to cool off on a hot day at the park. The firworks show when they use to shoot much higher into the sky, now sometimes your lucky if you see them. I miss the old atmosphere of Kings Island more than anything. The old HB sippy drinks, the little remote boats you pumped quarters in to control. On a side note maybe I just haven't looked at many pictures as of late or my memory escapes me, but isn't the slingshot ride sitting where the majority of the King Cobra was? I know Delirium sites where the gift shop and part of the Helix was but the majority is taken up by a pay per ride isn't it. I still wouldn't trade much for Delirium, when it is up and running it is a very fun thrill-ride. It is also very nice to look at and you can get a great breeze from it if you stand in the right spot.

Browntggrr, That is my point I don't want anyone to judge parks off of minor incidents and let their own experience at any park be the judge. I am in no way putting down any park including Disney. I actually think from reading the trip report originally posted they had a great time at the park. It unfortunately has turned into some people wanting to cancel their trip to a park with 3 great coasters over 1 persons bad experience with 2 park employees, another person video that happened to show an employee spit, and an e-mail that was taken offense to. I think that is a mistake, and I wouldn't want someone who hasn't been to my favorite park (Kings Island) to do that over the same type of thing. Many different people get many different experiences out of different parks. UncleHenry, I had no problem with your video, I thought it was a great video and highlighted the park. I do feel the comment about "Cleanest park my @$$" after 1 employee spit was a little unwarranted because that didn't actually make it a dirty park. I actually enjoyed the entire video especially watching you get the flying eagles ride going pretty well (miss that ride at Kings Island). I was just explaining that the e-mail you had could be interpreted in many different ways, I understand you took it in bad light and that is fine. If I were angry and had taken it that way, I would have called the PR dept. and spoke with the party involved. I don't agree with some of her comments or choices of words, but from a PR standpoint I can see where she comes from on some of it. In one section I took it as she was wanting you as a patron to help them and give them a chance to fix their error or the incident that happened while you were at the park by reporting it immediately. As I said they can't see everything every employee does every second of the day, nor can any park for that matter. In that case it is up to us as patrons, or other employees at the parks to report these issues. Otherwise they will continue until management catches them doing it .

How could it get any more neglected than it was during Paramounts reign. I mean seriously I have already seen the improvements last year during my visits to Kings Island.

That was not the lone incident that has ever happened at a Disney. There have been other incidents, just like at other parks. My point being that every park has incidents including Disney. Kings Island and Cedar Point have had their fair share as well. Ask any employee at guest relations and they will tell you that complaints come in quite a bit everyday. Some are legit and others aren't but are still looked into.

Mind you also that Holiday World has taken a stiff stance on obeying ride and park rules. Just a few years ago they had an rider killed on one of their RollerCoasters for basically unstrapping their restraint and standing up while riding their RollerCoaster. It was a tragedy that should have never happened. Their answer to it was to be enforce the rules more on rides and throughout the park to try and ensure everyones safety. Hopefully I will see one of you on my visit to Kings Island in July and August.

It failed to deliver while you were there, but that doesn't mean it fails to deliver on every visit. What I am disappointed most about is that now there are people wanting to cancel their trip to the park that have never been based on a couple of bad experiences. If I had a dollar for every bad thing I seen in any amusement park I would be a rich man by now. Let us keep in mind that Disney has been brought up as being one of the cleanest and friendliest parks in several threads also, the same park that has had many incidents with their staff that dress as disney characters (mind you Tigger beating some kid up). I thought the review seemed just fine of the park and you had a couple of bad experiences with a couple of employees which you stated. If an employee has a parent say that someone is taking pictures of kids in the waterpark, they are doing the right thing to question to be sure. The part that was wrong was asking to put the camera away and I totally agree there. I have been to HW many times and have never had any problems there with employees or cleanliness, but that doesn't mean that everyone hasn't had a bad experience. Heck even the video I watched showed many good things throughout the park. As for the incident of the employee spitting I see this just about anywhere you go sometimes even worse than what was shown (mind you it was just as gross as the gentlemen who was playing with a piercing that was through their nose). The trash in a que line okay and I am sure someone will come by to clean that up. Don't let me begin with all the bubblegum on walls, rails, etc. I have seen at other parks. The fact of the matter is there will always be trash somewhere in every park, if you are expecting anything else I am curious of your motivations. Some guests don't throw trash away like they should and the park can not do anything about this other than have Garbage cans readily available to all guests and have crews going through to clean up. Holiday World never has claimed to have this huge amusement park and probably never will. Anyone that expected that should have visited the website before attending the park to get a little more information. They do have a collection of 3 awesome Rollercoasters. I will say in all the parks I have visited I have never seen the owners out sweeping up garbage and readily available for you to speak to like Holiday World. I have had small bad experiences at every park I have gone to and Holiday World is no better or worse than Cedar Point and/or Kings Island. Kings Island is still my favorite park because I have been going there since I was too little to remember. It dropped off for a little while when Paramount had taken over and I took to Cedar Point a little better, but now I have already seen the changes taking place. Anyone who has not visited Holiday World should not change plans based off of any of this. It is a great park and your experience could greatly differ from anyone else who has posted on here. Set your expectations different than what some have set forth on Holiday World, it is not this huge amusement park and is still in a growth period. They will have their struggles trying to adjust to that growth but they have fine management in place. Last but not least concerning the e-mail from the PR at Holiday World. The company I work for has to work with many out of state customers. You constantly have to send e-mails back and forth. Typing in an e-mail can come out several different ways. I didn't take that e-mail as anything snotty what-so-ever and I have seen some pretty bad ones. I would suggest if you feel that way you make a phone call to the person who sent that e-mail. Listening over the phone can offer a better perspective of what the person is conveying. I can type many different things in an e-mail, on this forum, or in a memo and it can be taken by 7 different people 7 different ways. Your best bet is to call. I agree with her in the sense that they are not perfect and they understand that, nobody is ever perfect. I also agree that if something bothered you, you should have reported it while you where there so it could be rectified. I agree in her comment that you should let them fix things by letting them know when things happen. They can not fix what they don't know is happening. If the owners of HW were standing next to the gentlemen spitting, I think they would have taken action. If they didn't I would think they would certainly deserve to be bashed for it. I do feel that many employees at parks do things against what the amusement park wants implemented. It is our responsibility as patrons their attention immediately after it happens so that it is rectified.

Much of the reason I still love and adore Holiday World (Free Parking, Free Drinks all day long). I don't know how they do it, but it is certainly enjoyable.

I don't know in the day and age in which we live in the metal detectors can do more to help than hurt. After the light of several events we have witnessed it also makes people feel safer. No Cedar Point doesn't have Metal Detectors, but they were owned by Cedar Fair. The Metal Detectors at Kings Island were put in after Paramount took them over. In a way I think it is still a good thing to ensure safety although I haven't seen many problems in my visits with guests bringing unacceptable items into the park. Any guest who brinks said items I just don't get why. You also have to remember Paramount incorporated this into all their parks, it had nothing to do with Cincy being unsafe. I would imagine it had more to do with another Paramount park having to take preventative matters and they made it mandatory for all parks. Kings Island has always been rather safe every time I have visited the park and I have been going since 1977.

deb, You can feel free to call the park, but you will have no problems taking any of the stuff you need into the park. We have taken our baby into the park many times bringing water, formula, and diaper bags etc. They looked through our stuff just to be safe but it was done rather quickly and we also have to bring my middle childs nebulizer for her asthma. Some food shops etc. will even let you use their outlets for things like my daughters nebulizer. I am miffed about them making your husband throw out the Vault because I don't see how they would know if he bought it from the park or not. Regardless I think you will be fine. As for rides, I would imagine the carousel, train, Eifel Tower, and some of the mild kid rides in Nick that parents can ride with the kids would be your limits. The best thing of all is you will have a great time with the entire family, and I think it is great you are bringing the infants with you so you can enjoy it as an entire family. Happy Birthday to Joe!

While I don't bring enough luggage to fly to Europe, I have no problem with people whom have to bring some forms of luggage. If someone desires not to wait for that person to go through don't wait in that line behind that person, find a line with somebody whom has less luggage. We actually have a baby and unless you want to see a mess we have to bring a diaper bag with plenty of diapers and baby wipes. My wife also has to bring in her bag with her medication. When we bring this in and put it in a locker, it creates less trips in and out of the park. I have seen some people come in with much much more stuff than we do and some of it is just plain senseless. I also offer out of the fact of being nice to anyone standing behind us with no items to go ahead of us so that they don't have to wait behind us while we get our bags checked.

I do hate and understand some of the pet peaves people have. I whole heartedly agree with a lot of them. I will say as far as guests joking with ride ops, this use to be a comon practice. I know many guests that try to do this to help make the ride ops day go a little better. Those same guests don't always see the 1200 plus people that may try to do the same thing that becomes annoying. Also keep in mind those guests also are paying patrons of the park. Making jokes with employees I don't see any harm in, some of the other things I do see harm in. I notice also there are park employees with attitudes also. Not all employees but there are bad apples in that department also. I usually blow that off, but it can change many patrons mind on how the day at the park was. My favorite thing to do is generally talk to a ride op that is taking height measurements while the line is stalled and they aren't doing much. Most times it keeps them entertained and myself as well while waiting. As far as little kids go you have to consider some factors as I have kids myself. To begin with make sure the parent seen what the kid did. If they did see it and didn't do something about it then that is bad parenting. If they didn't see it let the parent know. I for one know if my kid does something improper and I didn't see it, I would be extremely happy if I was told about it so I can stop my child from doing it in the future. Even when you correct your kid they will push the limits. It is not the same world as when I was a kid, you whip a child and your an abusive parent so you have to be much more carefull of what you do. Some parents get embarrassed yelling or spanking their kids in front of others. I usually walk mine to a more secluded spot to do this so that I don't disrupt others day at the park. Even after doing this however many kids like to be spitefull and do it just because you said not to. It is a fact of life and irritates many a parent. So don't always blame it on bad parenting as sometimes strict parenting is going on, but it causes a sptefull reaction. I also bring a cell phone into the park and suggest large groups do so in case of an emergency. Don't use it to blab away the whole day, but if I am going to be away and an emergency comes up I want that cell phone so I can be reached be it for work or family.

FOF use to actually have 4 trains, 6 cars per train, seating 2 across in 2 rows and could seat 24 passengers per train. Since they have modified the restraints from the OTS to lap bar restraints they have only ran 2 trains with 5 cars seating 2 across in 2 rows allowing 20 passengers per train. Right now they don't run 3 trains. The Beast runs 3 trains with 6 cars per train 2 across with 3 rows per car which allows 36 passengers per train. I do agree that FOF is a fun ride. The Beast is a fun ride also, very unique however and those of us who ride it a lot under estimate it. Nowhere in the world will you find a terrain woodie like The Beast. It no longer holds the record for fastest or tallest but still does for the longest ride. It is old but it is still a very unique woodie. Top Gun is indeed in need of something. It can be a very fun fast ride although short. If something isn't done I can see it being tore out for a newer ride. I have been very critical about some moves made at Kings Island in the past. Not because I hate KI, but because I love KI. I have been to KI at least 1 time per year since 1977. Unfortunately under Paramount they had made some of their more ignorant moves. I am glad to see Firehawk come even if it is used, it definitely adds to a great park. Last year when my wife and I took our kids to the park I was starting to be impressed already under Cedar Fair's ownership. Little things really stood out to me: Cleanliness (gum being taken off the areas you always use to see), the workers were out and about constantly changing bags to trash cans and sweeping walkways of trash, things looked to have starts of better up keep. I personally felt that other than some rides needing fresh coats of paint the park looked great and the atmosphere was great. It was starting to remind me of Kings Island before Paramount bought them out. That is definitely a positive, judging how Cedar Fair runs their parks I see great improvements coming to Kings Island for Families, Coaster enthusiast, and people of all sorts.