Gabe

Just this morning, I see two Kings Island commercials aired within a few spots of each other. In the first, the tag at the end advertises that passes can be bought at Kroger for $25 off the gate price. In the second spot, the tag advertises that people can visit the park's website and buy tickets for $19.99 off the gate price. In all my years as a passholder, I can safely say I've never seen pricing like it is this year--all over the map.

No problem. I live in Indy--2 hours away--so I tend to check these forums if I'm planning a Friday visit. I have now been on 3 Fridays this season and every one has featured rides with a minimum wait. I believe the last Cirque show is at 7. My kids loved it and I suggest you check it out!

Disney at first rolled it out on a limited basis with limited features only for Verizon users. With the upgrade to MM+, the app got a makeover and is available on all carriers and should now be the only source of info you'd ever need for the resort. It is much much more than simply a lines app.

As for the Disney app, the official one is free and is available on all mobile platforms and is the most accurate one since it is updated by the park and not by individual users.

I was there this past Friday night and wait times were all fairly short, with the exception being FOF, which was an hour. Everything else was a 15-30 min wait. Beast night rides on Fridays really only truly happen during the last 30-45 min the park is open since it's a 10 PM close. Regardless, whatever you do, Friday night is traditionally a great time to visit!

Especially when the ride ops disparage the rides they work on, as has happened on recent visits while riding zephyr and hearing the ride ops say, "Welcome to Zephyr. Yeah we know its not the best ride, but you can go ride WindSeeker next, since it's way better" Sarcasm or not, it's being said publicly with a microphone attached to them, so perception is reality.

Welcome to the world of how high things are. Ever since the first skyscrapers appeared, builders have resorted to all sorts of things to boast height. The Empire State Building once used its spire as a mooring line for blimps! antennae, lightning rods, etc. all are (or aren't) counted in official measurements. It all depends on what you're trying to boast of.

Given the target audience of teens for Haunt, said teens usually are attending HS football games on Friday nights in the fall, so crowds tend to be down. Not to be missed is a night ride on Beast--earlier sundowns mean a lot more time for night rides.

You mean "Fright Lane"? They work like Fast Lane in that you get expedited access to most mazes and rides. I would expect to see Fright Lane plus as well, with 1-2 mazes on the tier as well as the rides on the regular FL+ tier.

The highest point in Indy is the top of Strawberry Hill, which is located in Crown Hill Cemetery near downtown. Some of Indiana's most famous people reside there for eternity. If planning a trip to southern Indiana this fall, everyone stays in Nashville, which is quaint and nice, but very overpriced. Staying in Bloomington (about 10 miles away) is much cheaper and has the extra added bonus of being where Indiana University is located which is a beautiful wooded campus (and my alma matter!), esp in fall.

Dynamic pricing is all the rage now. Look at what the park has done in terms of pricing so far this season, both on admission and food/bev. If the GWL sees that it has lots of rooms to sell again in early-mid December, which is traditonally the slowest period of the year, then I wouldn't be shocked to see another Groupon type deal offered.

Right now Red Roof is offering a stay twice get one night free promo which runs through August 31, so if you end up staying at a Red Roof near both KI and CP you could get a free night at any Red Roof nationwide. Check their website for more info.

Indiana is flat north of interstate 70, which runs through Indy. You got to think HW is almost in KY! Indiana is basically flat because of the Ice Age glaciers that covered most of the state. They made it about as far south as Martinsville (about 20 miles south of Indy) before retreating, which is why people flock to southern Indiana in the fall for the foilage. Rolling hills, nice scenic lookouts and much more affordable than going to the east coast to see the same foilage.

Well therein likes the rub--he was basically told the exit the ride after refusing the bandaid and wasn't offered a chance to have first aid come out to clean the wound and gauze it up. I found that strange to say the least. I agree blood on a railing is no big deal, but they should have had us wait at the ride entrance, not in the crammed exit cue that obviously wasn't designed for people to stand 5 wide in without moving.

Well, I kind of laughed when Indy hosted a lunchtime yoga event last summer on the circle downtown..then when I passed it and saw the hordes of people spread out all over the circle and the spoke streets I realized that this event was way bigger than I realized. I suppose if KI were to do it, the large area in front of the ET would do nicely, with people spread out along the paths. I don't see KI doing this for free for passholders, but maybe a small upcharge of say $5 with a voucher for a free bottled water would entice people to come.

Friday night I was at the park and the SOB flame was off. Weather was pristine. Saturday when I returned, the SOB flame was working, but no fire effects on BLSC. If it makes the park feel better, gas is slipping back down! Maybe CF should do what Southwest successfully did for years, which was to buy fuel futures at low prices

I fail to see how anyone can be apologists for Mr. Hart. Given that he once ran this same park before he sold it to SIX, wouldn't it be reasonable to think he should know how to run things? It seems as if his upper management is composed of clowns and others who exist simply to draw a paycheck with no real world experience.

This past Saturday as I was next in line to board Surfdog an eldery man cut himself on the ride and began bleeding profusely fromm an area near his elbow. It looked like he hadan existing wound. The Ride Op was obisoulsy flustered and didn't know what to do so he first offered the man a tiny bandage, which would have been no help at all. He then told the man to exit the ride, which he did, bleeding all over the exit railing. The ride op then got on the horn and called for a first aid team to come and clean the ridew ince the man had bled all over his seat and the seats next to him. Several minutes went by and nobody in sight. At this point, we were ordered by the ride ops to wait just behind the gate in the exit que. The ride was going to be full, so imagine 30 or so of us crammed into the exit area where blood was still visible and now dripping from the railing. We were told to wait there and not leave the area, even though none of us were exposed to any blood (though we were all trying to avoid the blood on the railing). About another 30 minutes and 2 phone calls later and still no haz mat team has made their way to the now closed ride. As I didn't want to spend my whole day waiting for smeone to come and clean the blood and/or question me about what I saw, I simply left the ride and went about my day. I know Saturday was a busy day at the park, but in the absence of any other emergencies, I would have hoped a team could have made the short trek to the ride from the first aid hub. I don't know what the protocol is for handling blood, but in every job I've had, it is treated as an emergency and handled quickly. I was sorely disappointed in the lack of a quick response from the park.

A quick search turned up availability at the Red Roof Inn at Blue Ash, which is only about 10 miles from the park, due south off 71. Their website shows availability, but says to call the property directly. In general, Blue Ash is a nice area with plentiful hotels and is close to the park. You might also consider staying in the Montgomery/Kenwood areas of town. They are further south than Blue Ash, but are also right off 71 and provide quick access to the park. Good Luck and congrats!

Oftentimes this year, I've noticed BLSC running only 2 trains, which makes it's already-bad capacity worse. I usually only see fit to ride it 2-3x a season for that reason.

It's basically the same effect seen at the Haunted Mansion, just with more up to date technology (though during the Mansion rehab, I believe they did upgrade the Madame Leota scene with the same effect found on Snow White).

Ryan: Toy Story Mania is a terrific shoot the targets game (in 4-D no less!). Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin is pretty fun too--way better than what it replaced! (Delta Dreamflight). But I agree--using the empty Crypt building would save teh park some money on development costs and give the park a true dark ride which I agree it needs.

In DC, most museums are free and I wouldn't pass up an opportunity to see the Air and Space Museum, which is terrific. They have one of the retired shuttles on display, though I believe it's an upcharge. Terpy lives out that way so he could say for certain. If you want to go to a pay museum, the spy museum downtown is a lot of fun and packs a good punch for the money. A side trip to Monticello or Mt. Vernon is worth it as well, since the grounds are gorgeous as are the homes.

Not to menton the water jets that sprayed out when you exited the tunnel, which had the effect of rusting the track!

There is a contract in place with the owner of the attraction, but of course, such contracts can always end early if need be..