Lauch

That's what gets me. Who decides whether they are open or not? I spent 40 minutes in line at IJ:ST, when I could have gotten on right away. While I don't mind so much waiting, it'd be nice to be able to utilize something that is listed as a "perk" anytime I'm there. I don't like having to plan my trip around which days are which. If I remember right, Disney's speed pass lanes are always open. Though I'm sure it's because they get more visitors on a daily basis, it's still a nice feature.

I've been to the park this year (the second weekend) and was trying to figure out the perks for Gold Pass holders. As far as I can tell, the only one I saw was the Gold Pass line on IJ:ST, which wasn't open at the time. Can someone list all the GP perks and how I can take advantage of them? I kinda figured that there would be Gold Pass lines on most of the major attractions, but did not see any at all, except for the one. Looking at the KI website, it lists some perks <a href="http://www2.cedarfair.com/kingsisland/events/events.cfm?ec_id=27">Here</a>. Are these the only ones? Does anyone know GP perks that they might be adding in the future? I guess I'm just trying to make sure I can take advantage of everything they offer, when I go. Thanks in advance.

I didn't know you, but from the site here, you've meant alot to everyone. Good luck in all your future endeavors!

Sounds like it went pretty smooth. I was lucky enough to get passes processed during the week, last week. Might go to the park this weekend...

they've been running face/off pretty consistently and I did see Delerium running as well. Drop Zone has been running off and on throughout the week as well. I keep looking back at The Vortex, hoping to see it running, as I've heard they were running that as well, but no luck. I have a feeling many rides will be running tonight for training and/or warmup sessions, but that's just a thought. We'll see....tomorrow half of you will see things running in person....I'll be jealous!

I went through a long period in life where I was worried about such things. The important thing is to realize that YOU enjoy going there, not because of past memories, but because of you. Sure, it's sad to remember times that are past, but that's more incentive to want to create memories of your own, without anyone having to be there as your boyfriend. Any sad event is tough to get over, but being true to yourself is always a good thing.

Not a big deal, I was just a little confused...lol.

PKIVortex, based on your signature line, I wouldn't have guessed it. I mean...you had a few days, where you didn't even go to the park last year... lol

There's not that many parks that I'm aware of that don't charge for parking...at least not that I've been to. There's probably a reason for that, but in the long run, I would guess it's all about money...whether it's tax reasons or generating revenue. I'd say it's a combination of several things which result in higher money intake.

It was definitely a pleasant surprise. I was enjoying it enough with the regular white lights...yet another thing to look at on my deck! My step-daughter responded when I pointed it out to her.... "You are really waaay too excited about living so close to Kings Island, Lauch"

Wow! That really sucks! One thing I miss about Chicago, is their public transportation. I loved being able to hop into a cab if I didn't feel like driving, but the kids who rely on this are getting screwed here.

You would have to charge quite a bit of money extra to make up for the money lost from Season Pass holders. Think about 10 bucks for every car that enters the park with a season pass.

I spent many years, growing up in Dayton, anticipating our first trip down to Kings Island. Every summer, that was the one thing I looked forward to the most! I remember getting my first season pass and realizing that this meant that I would be going more often (YAY!) Fast forward to now...I haven't really been to the park in about 15 years much. I think I may have been there twice in that span. I've since moved my family from Chicago to Mason, and all these memories have come back to me. My step-daughter says I'm more excited than she is about it being so close. I'm really looking forward to being able to see the fireworks and the "open" park from my yard. I know I'll be spending several nights out on my deck with a beer, watching the fireworks at nights' end. I'm looking forward to going to the park on a weekday morning to be able to hit the rides before the crowds hit. I'm looking forward to getting to go anytime I feel like it, just to get out some stress. I'm looking forward to spending so much time there, that I start to notice the little things, like shows and cleanliness of the park, that I probably wouldn't have noticed during only one trip. I'm looking forward to going to the park just to ride one ride over and over again for the heck of it I think in terms of memories waiting to be created, I'm excited to be able to spend time in the park with my family. I haven't been on many trips with them, and have only been married for about two years, so this will really be exciting to spend time with my wife and step-daughter, without worrying about anything.

An easy way to alleviate this problem, would be to create a database that would "lock down" the parking pass once the pass is used once for the day. This would be a pain if I wanted to leave the park and come back (say..to get lunch or something), but would solve that issue easily. Another suggestion would be to have a pass to hang from the mirror...though I'm sure people would easily get around this one too. I understand the problems involved with the parking passes...KI wants to make money and also wants to make sure people don't abuse the system. I think they should re-think their system to accommodate families. A guy that was there with his wife and child, while I was standing in line, told me that his wife used his card all the time when he wasn't available to go with her. Basically stating that they don't really check at the gates. Obviously, someone who wants to save his ten bucks could very easily get into the park then walk over to the dropoff area and hand his pass to a buddy to get in. If they lock down the system to only allow one entry per pass per day and then offer the option, for a few extra bucks, to put the pass on another card, I think it would solve most problems, but with every solution, it has its flaws.

Yah, I understand that it is better than it was. It would be nice to have the option for families like mine, though, obviously, you can't always please everyone. We'll do with what we have and if I end up having to spend an extra 30 bucks, I'll probably do so, since it ends up saving me money in the end.

Not understanding the two strikes thing, I didn't mention the parade at all. And why should I get any strikes, when I am just making an observation that is fact....you're telling me because you can't see it on a webcam that I'm not telling the truth? As for the lights, they were multi-colored last night when I was looking at it. I was trying to think of a way to video tape it, but unfortunately, my camera is a pain in the ass when it comes to video. Also a problem, is that I'm far enough away from the park that the pictures I was taking weren't really any good. Especially when the ET would change to a dark blue, it didn't even show up on the pic. I saw a few colors: white, blue, red, yellow, green. The yellow could just be a white that was transitioning to green, though I'm not sure. I wasn't quite sure if these lights were new or not, since I just moved here at the end of last year, and really haven't been able to visit the park the past few years.

I understand how much of a pain it would be to put it ON the car as a sticker. It's great that they chose to put it on my card, but I should have the option to put it on my immediate families' cards as well....meaning my wife and step-daughter. Perhaps they should charge an extra 10 bucks?? I think I'd be ok with that, and it would allow those of us who want to obey the rules to be able to do so without slapping down another 30 bucks. Especially since I'll probably spend quite a bit of money in the park over the season.

Thanks!

Not sure if these are the new lights, but I remember someone posting about new lights being installed. Either way, the Eiffel Tower is ablaze tonight in several colors...transitioning between white and red and blue and yellow. (I was trying to figure out the best way to get pictures from my house, but really couldn't get any good pics....too far away. )

I went in to process my parking pass today and was told it would be put on my season pass card. This makes sense to some degree, except that my wife also would like to go to the park when I'm not able to at times. Does anyone know how well they enforce this? If she wants to go with my step-daughter, they should be allowed to use my parking pass, but if they were checking the card well, she'd end up having to pay the 10 bucks to get in. Any thoughts?

Honestly, I hardly ever navigate around this site except to the forums so <a href="http://www.KICentral.com/history/timeline.php">This timeline</a> was not something I ever even looked at!! I'll definitely check it out now that I know it's there. I mainly have used this site for current information and community, rather than information on the park of the past. Learn something new every day!!

Jimmy Buffet, July 26th at Riverbend. HEH...had to say it.

That was the other part I found out as well. Cracks me up. I was wondering why the monorail at Jungle Jim's looked familiar. We shop there every so often. Thanks for the information!

Ok...after racking my brain for a few hours, I've found out that I was right. The ride was called "Lion Country Safari and Monorail" which was later named the "Wild Animal Habitat" in 1983. I found this from a park timeline compiled by Chris Cowan at <a href="http://timelines.home.insightbb.com/pki_years.htm">Theme Park Timelines</a>, who added Mark Harris as a reference as well for his help. This is a great timeline and shows brochures from every year up to 2005. I highly recommend his compilation.

For some reason, I remember there being a monorail type ride at Kings Island that went back into an Animal Park. It was back by the Screemin Demon, I think. Is this correct, or am I just confusing this with another park? I somehow remember air conditioned monorail trains that went back into an "animal kingdom" so to speak. If not there, then I wish I knew where this was as I've been racking my brain trying to figure it out. Thanks!