standbyme

Fearfest is great...originally I thought that there might not be one this year due to the changing of hands of the park...but since the park is already selling Winterfest tickets I would assume that Fearfest (or whatever it might be called) will happen. As for your questions, weather is the biggest factor. I have been to all the Fearfests...only once when I went was it bitterly cold...so none of the steel coasters were running that day...most of the time you will be safe. Rain can also affect what rides are open in a round-about way...if it is a COLD rainy day, the crowds will also be down...with the crowds not there it seems that they start closing certain rides to save money. (Usually nothing that would break your heart.) Personally, I always root for a day that is dreary and just barely warm enough to keep the coasters all running...that way you get to ride tons of rides with no waiting. The park is not usually that busy in the daytime during Fearfest...it's when it starts getting dark that it becomes a nightmare. (No pun intended.) My advice is ride all the rides you can in the daytime and just worry about the Fearfest attractions at night. Your choice of going on the 13th is good...that way you will hopefully get to see the fall colors but not the huge crowds you see closer to Halloween. Good luck & have fun!

Winterfest Tickets already on sale...that's planning ahead!

BeastBuzz 2006 at Paramount's Kings Island is Saturday, June 17, 2006.

Or, that when you bought the DVD box set today, the first thing you notice is that there was an appostrophe put in "Kings"....the back of the box states "King's Island"! You would have thought someone would have possibly caught that error.

Just wanted to say thanks to Maureen for taking the time and trouble to keep us updated...even if it may not appear so, I am sure the majority of the people here appreciate your efforts. It is not possible for me to come to the construction tour so these photos are great for me...it also makes the "off-season" seem a lot shorter. Thanks again!

"Ooops, you cut the hole too big in your bag...go directly to jail" http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2000/09/0...ndicted_on.html

I checked the forums at Coasterbuzz & ExtremePKI and they work fine for me. The mystery deepens!

All 3 computers are Internet Explorer. (All are broad-band also.) Another thing i've noticed is that (what I assume is) the ad space at the bottom always reads "You are not authorized to view this page". Like I said, on the forums I have to click twice to go back to the previous page. I do not go to the actual website that often...since you asked I went there to test it. It appears that I have to click THREE times to go back to the previous page. I do not have a problem going forward...1 click and I am "there" in an instant. The whole thing is not that big of a deal...I just thought I would mention it.

On all 3 computers that I log into and look at this forum I now have 2 double-click to go backwards to the previous page...I can't quite remember when it started, but it hasn't been long.

So, what's better than a trip report by someone to Winterfest? How about a trip report by someone who not only has to drive 3 ½ hours to Kings Island but a person who doesn't really like Christmas! (Sounds like a good combination for a REAL honest appraisal of how good Winterfest really is doesn't it.) First off let me say that I NEVER go to Christmas themed events unless I absolutely have to. (I.E. school programs) If it were not for my devotion to Kings Island, and my desire to see it with snow all around I wouldn't have even considered going to this Christmas/holiday event. I have been following all of the hype about Winterfest from before it was officially announced here on this forum. Little by little I became more interested, it seemed like it was worth a gamble. Unfortunately I was one of the "fools" who fell for the "Buy your tickets by Nov.6th for the best price" sales pitch. Seeing that they eventually went to the Buy 1 / Get 1 Free price I now feel a little stupid/cheated. (This is the first time that I have ever felt betrayed by Kings Island.) I know that they probably only dropped the price out of desperation, but it still feels like the loyal/dedicated people are the ones who got screwed. Oh well...live and learn. And now the actual trip report: I must also mention that I had my expectations set pretty low...so I figured that way I couldn't be too disappointed. Since we bought our tickets in advance we had already picked Dec.10th. It was not too cold...plus we were glad that there was snow on the ground. (It ain't Christmas without snow.) We arrived at the gates at about 5 til 4:00. At this point in time there were only 2 (then 3) gates open at the metal detectors...so the line was backed up pretty good...but it went pretty fast. Walking into the park and hearing Christmas music that is actually "listenable" was nice. (For me, Christmas should either be the classics or nice punk versions by Bad Religion, Pennywise, The Vandals...) The first thing we did (thanks to pointers on this board) was reserve our tickets to see "Santa's Toy Factory". After that we started strolling down international street. It was still fairly light out and you could get a good look at the decorations. I was not "knocked over" by them, but I thought they looked very nice. We decided to do the Carousel first but found out that it was not open yet...so we just killed time looking in the stores. I can't say that I was too impressed with most of the vendors merchandise that was in the Emporium shop...it was kind of like going to a flea market. (And 1 of the vendors we ALMOST bought something from was rude...so they lost a sale.) We walked around outside a bit more, and ran into one of those tall Jester guys...he was very nice and we took a couple of "group shots" with him. We stopped by the Scrooge puppet show for a little bit...but that didn't seem to be that interesting. I can see where this "show" is probably a little more "hit and miss" depending on how good the people he is talking to are. We didn't stay too long for this and headed back to the carousel...it was open and people were already riding. As we stood in line watching the people ride we enjoyed that it was playing Christmas music...but when we rode it was dead silent! I kind of thought the music would be starting up after each round but it never did. That had me puzzled. Do the ride ops have to hit a button to turn on the music? We got a good spot and waited for the tree-lighting ceremony. The mayor told a couple of "jokes" and then introduced a family to officially pull the switch to light the lights. I really liked the firework trail that made it's way up to the tower...that was impressive. Next we went to see the Nick Characters in the tree lot. I always like "photo ops" for the kids...and the kids like the characters so it's a win-win situation. My only complaint with this area was that the characters themselves were not dressed in anything holiday. I don't expect much...but even a Santa hat on them would have been nice...not to mention even one of the kids mentioned Dora must be freezing in shorts! The holiday backdrops were nice though and since it was not very busy, the characters seemed to have fun playing around with the kids more than usual. Next we went to the Swan Lake light show...I would say that this was probably the biggest disappointment for most of us that night. The lights were ok, but nothing "jaw-dropping" good. (That house in Mason DOES have this beat by a mile for being impressive.) I think the "pace" of this should have been faster...it bored the kids and us. I think it was a mistake to "hype" this as a special event. I think it oversold it. I also think that if we just happened to walk by it, glance over, I would probably have thought to myself "Oh, that's kinda nice"...but when we all specifically get there on time to watch it and expect a lot, it was a let-down. After this, a couple of the people I was with went to try the ice-skating. It was their first time trying it. (They both can roller-skate though.) They picked it up quickly and had a great time, and we enjoyed watching everyone skate. While they were skating, I went to get a hot chocolate at Skyline...the line did not look that long, but it took about 20 minutes to get thru it...which leads me to: I had a ticket to the 6:30 Santa's Toyshop show. I was about 5 minutes late getting to the show and there was not a seat to be found! I stood in back for about 10 minutes hoping an usher would find me a seat but that didn't happen. What's the point of handing out tickets if it doesn't guarantee you a seat? We next headed over to the Nick area. We rode Scooby Doo' Haunted Castle but the Hanna Barbera carousel was not open this night. The "crowd" in the park did not seem that big...so maybe they just decided to cut back a little. We decided to go eat at Feasthaus...I was impressed with how well it was decorated, both inside and out. The entertainment was not bad either. The acts seemed to rotate fairly quickly, so if you didn't like one you didn't have to "endure" it long! It seems to me that they have also lowered the price of the turkey dinner...I thought originally it was $14.99...it was "only" $11.99 that night. The evening was almost done now...we BARELY made it over to be on the last train ride of the evening. As our group came up to enter the station, around the corner came the actor/soldier greeting us like he was also getting in line for the train. The station was decorated very nice...the old-fashioned luggage carts and old railroad uniforms on the ops was a nice touch. There were only about 8 other people getting on the ride with us. They sat in front of the soldier, we sat behind him. As the ride started we did notice that the new speaker system was great. (Clear & loud.) As they started the play, it didn't appear that the other people on the train wanted to participate...so Bobby pretty much just faced us most of the time...it was like our own private play. He really was good at ad-libbing lines and very friendly. I honestly did not think I would be thrilled with this train ride but we all were...even the kids. Yes, it was hokey...but if you just let yourself get in the mood it was fun. As we walked back towards the entrance to leave another good thing happened...it started to snow! As we got near the Eiffel Tower there was a nice "big-snowflake" blizzard...it did not last too long...but it did last until we got out of the park. It was a GREAT ending to the evening. So, to sum up my trip...like a lot of people have said, if you go for the decorations, and not the rides you might just have a good time. I think $16.99 is a bit overpriced...but I can see why Kings Island might have to charge that in order to pay all of the employees...the crowd was not that big. (I think $14.99 is a fair price though.) I do not regret driving so far for it...but I would only do it once a year, but if I lived nearby I would definitely want to do it again!

So much for that...I thought it was too good to be true. (I should have known that if those 3 were selling it that there had to be a catch.)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051209/media_...eamworks_wsj_dc Seeing Shrek walking around the park would be cool...if it happens.

So, do you think there's a Chance card that says something like this: "It's the end of the season, Son of Beast needs retracked again, pay $20,000"

Geez...that is an amazing post...and yes I read it ALL! I feel like I have already been to Winterfest once. Thanks for the tips.

I remember the first contact I had with Jeff was back in October of 2000. Not going into too many details, I was having a problem with my season pass that no one else seemed to be willing to fix…after an e-mail to Jeff I was surprised that he didn’t just e-mail me back…he went to the trouble of actually calling me (long distance). Within’ minutes of our conversation he had everything “fixed“. He turned a bad situation into a very pleasant one. It wasn’t until last year when I actually got to meet him face-to-face. It was my first year going to Beastbuzz and Jeff was there greeting everyone individually as they waited in line. It is probably an illusion, but he genuinely seems to be happy to meet you! The tour behind The Beast and the ERT that night will always be one of the highlights of my life, and Jeff was a big part of that. His enthusiasm for the park was contagious. I must admit, at my first Beastbuzz I was wondering if it was “geeky†for me to be getting such a thrill just walking behind a roller-coaster…but after seeing Jeff’s obvious love of the park I didn’t worry about that anymore. After that day it seemed like Kings Island now had a “face†to it…it wasn’t just a corporation…it seemed more personal going to the park . I only got to meet him one more time…at this years Beastbuzz…but once again I wasn’t disappointed. From the greeting in the morning all the way to watching the promo videos he has done was great…The Brady Bunch parody will remain a classic. Kings Island is losing a great person…and I hope Schlitterbahn Parks know how lucky they are. Good Luck Jeff…and thanks! P.S. I have heard people on here criticize others for thinking Jeff is a God…but who cares…I think he deserves it. P.P.S. Yes, this is THE sappiest post I have EVER done on ANY message board!

I am going on the 10th...then if I really like it I have time to go back. I am 3 1/2 hours away...so road conditions are an important factor...if only Winterfest were in the summer I wouldn't have to worry about icy roads!

Count me in also!

Action Zone got my vote for the simple fact that this year, the only employees that stood out as being very friendly were the guys running Slingshot. I think most of the time all of the employees are pretty friendly. I have never come across a rude employee...just some bored ones...which I can understand.

Are you sure the Hannah Barbera carousel is going to be open? I thought it was odd that the HB carousel was also listed...but what I posted was a copy n' paste direct from the FAQ section of PKI's website...not any of my own knowledge.

What rides will be open for Winterfest? The train ride will be transformed into the White Christmas Express. In addition, Scooby-Doo and the Haunted Castle will open as Scooby-Doo and the Christmas Caper. Both the Hanna Barbara carousel and the grand carousel will be open.

Nah... Dane and I did the Maze Saturday night and waited from the Zephyr... I don't think it was any more than 20mins. Give it up for Scott and his people eating machine!! I would REALLY like to understand how this could have been possible compared to the Saturday night I was at. Like I said, the people I was with ATTEMPTED the Maze Of Madness line. They started a little AFTER you go under The Racer. In about a half hour they hadn't even reached the part where you "que" around, and decided to come back and meet me and do something else with the other people I was with. How can it be that MY night it took that long for such a short distance, yet people claim it was anywhere from 1 hour to 20 minutes from way back by Zephyr on other nights...what could they have been doing different?

Just curious...which haunts had a 2 hour wait? I'm not saying anyone is lieing....honestly, just curious.... Here is my trip report from Oct 14th, 15th & 16th. http://www.pkicentral.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=6355 I can't say as I actually stood in any of the un-Godly long lines on that Saturday... just walked by them in awe. I am guess-timating the time it took to stand in them. I do know that my friends ATTEMPTED the Maze Of Madness line that night. They started a little underneath The Racer...and they didn't even come close to getting in after a half hour...so I figure if you were standing in line by the Zephyr it almost surely was over 2 hours. As for Sleepy Hollow that night you can tell by my description it was an amazing line. Since my trip report, someone posted that they heard that there were 36,000 people there on that Saturday....I don't know...but I do know it was awful! I am also not saying I know what it was like any other weekend...just the one I was at.

mplebanon, I think your post was very well written. I'm not saying I agree with everything that you said...but I think it was a good trip report. I went the second weekend this month, Friday was great, no big crowds and we got a lot done. Saturday was a nightmare...really crowded. If I had only went on Saturday I can see where I might have given this year's Fearfest a worse rating. I don't mind waiting in line...but NOT 2 hours for a 5-10 minute haunt. And before anyone says "stop your whining"...think about it, if you had to wait 2 hours for each haunt, that means you could only do possibly 4 haunts a night...it is not "fun" to say that you spent 8 hours in line, and (possibly) 30 minutes actually doing the haunts. (Like I said, we did great on Friday...so that made up for the next night.) Anyway, my point is, after you've been "wore-down" by standing in line, I can see where you might be more critical of the haunts once you got in. Sorry that you had a bad time.

Sorry to be an idiot...but I have went to the link and can not find the videos...what am I doing wrong?

Actually that was the line for Maze Of Madness...many people got in line thinking it was for Psycho Path - heck, many people didn't know what they were getting in line for... Yeah, I know what you mean...I did ask someone what the line was for and they told me it was Psycho Path...and I didn't bother tracing it to where it actually led. The best line I overheard that night was someone walking by asked a guy in the Massacre Manor line what the attraction he was standing in line for. His reply (in kind of a hick accent) was "I don't know...it's one of those haunted house things...I think".