XGatorHead 8904

Wow, the last time I saw 225 lbs and a 40" waistline was freshman year of college, some 17 years ago. I guess I won't be visiting the Roller Coast for awhile. Meanwhile, the weight loss continues... Now here's hoping the Rivertown construction is a B&M, not Intamin, so I can ride it next year. That would be me, and MF is my favorite coaster. Never did get to ride TTD. And oh yeah, great TR! I loved the Corkscrew picture with PT & TTD.

But I can think of a few of my friends who would rather spend their dollar bills there if they did, rather than at the lockers in front of their coasters!

I know my spending is definitely down at the park this year. We've only purchased one full meal at the park this year in my 7 visits, where last year we usually had at least one full meal in the park (x3 people) each time. Now what we've been doing is stopping somewhere on the way, eating at home first, or packing a cooler to eat in the parking lot. On every visit except for our first, the only food items we've purchased are souvenir cup refills and one treat (cinnabon or ice cream) to share each time. So with all the deeply discounted admissions, they would have to supplement any losses in that area with increased food/merch/games revenue. And it takes a mighty large number of nickels to make that up. Should be interesting to see how the parks do throughout the summer when those numbers are finally reported.

There's a cicada for you, angrybeaver.

^ I remember that jingle well. When the cicadas were out in 2004, I started singing that one time. My wife, who is from NE Ohio and wasn't around the last time they were out, was disgusted at the thought of eating them on a pizza and quickly asked me to stop singing that. My 3 year old daughter absolutely loves cicadas. She likes to talk to them and pet them like they were a dog. I definitely need to get video of her doing that so we can show her the next time they come around when she's a teenager! When we were up on the Eiffel Tower on 6/1, there was a cicada clinging to the railing. My daughter pet it and talked to it, telling it "It's okay, you'll be fine." How it managed to get up there that high I don't know, but it looked like it was clinging on for dear life in that wind. When we were ready to get on the elevator to go back down, my daughter made sure to say goodbye to her new cicada friend. At KI, they were most deafening in line for Crocodile Run on Sunday. One even landed on my bare back there. I just calmly turned around to show it to my wife and she got it off of me. I don't mind them that much. They're not around too long, and not very often.

I thought I would start a list of highlights and lowlights of each of my trips this year. I’ve found myself visiting much more often than I had thought I would so far. I realized last night that out of the 8 weeks KI has been open so far, I've been there 7 of them! Trip #3 – 5/10 This trip was completely spur of the moment. We usually don’t go on Saturdays, but after dinner we decided to make a quick trip to the park. We figured by then Nick U would be pretty much cleared out, and it was! Highlights: - Even though we walked through the gate at 7:45, my daughter was able to ride all of her rides in Nick U. - My daughter’s first ride on Scrambler. I rode it with her and she laughed the whole time. She loved it! - Our first fireworks of the year, in our usual spot between Tower and BLSC. The three of us shared a Cinnabon next to the fountain afterward. Yummy! Lowlight: - Still no Floral Clock! Trip #4 – 5/18 My wife went to see the movie Baby Mama with her sister, so that left my daughter and I to find something to keep us occupied. So what better way to pass the time than at Kings Island? My wife met up with us after she was done seeing the movie. Highlights: - My daughter’s first roller coaster ride ever!!!! As some of you know, I lost weight during the off season just so I could ride with her on her first time. Well, little did I know that the lap bars for LBGC are very forgiving (even if the leg room is not) and I could have actually done it last year! Oh well, losing weight’s a good thing anyway. Now if only I can lose enough to finally ride an Intamin again! Anyway, she loved it and had her hands up the whole time. That’s my girl! Of course I bought the picture and it’s sitting on my desk at work. - My wife got “checked for Ticks” during the County Line show. My daughter played shy and smiled when Josh and the other guys came up to talk to her after the show. Kudos to the County Line guys for taking the time to talk to us again. We never get the women talking to us for some reason… but in all fairness they are busy interacting with other tables. Lowlight: Still no Floral Clock! Trip #5 – 5/24 – Robbie Knievel Day! This trip was the 3 of us plus my uncle. My sister really wanted to go with us but she was not feeling up to it by the time it finally came around. Highlights: - The Floral Clock is back!!!! - This was the first time we ever attempted to eat out at our car, and it worked wonderfully. All my fears of my daughter not understanding that we would actually go back into the park were for naught. However, it took us a good while to get to and from the car. But we saved our nickels by having some nice sandwiches, chips, apples and black cherries brought from home. - We got to see the HB characters do The Hustle. - We all enjoyed the jump. We were right behind the trailer of the last truck, between the Tom Raper RV and the big Chik-Fil-A inflatable cow. My daughter just loved the skydivers, it was the first time she had ever seen that. I had to hold my daughter the whole time, and every time the fireworks and flames went off, my daughter would jump, but she laughed at the same time. We asked her at the end of the night what her favorite part of the day was, and she said “The motorcycle”. But I think she meant all the events leading up to the jump, as the only part of the jump we saw was him landing on the ramp. This was because of our position behind the trucks, the fact that he jumped over the cabs of the trucks and not the trailers, and the fact that since there were no loudspeakers in our vicinity, we had no idea when he was actually doing it. It was just like “Oh look, there he is landing!” - My daughter’s first “ride” on SBSP3-D, but it wasn’t really a ride since it was a motionless seat. She was excited about it, but didn’t like the end with Robo-Patrick’s saw and Paddleball of Doom. - Great fireworks, but in our usual fireworks viewing area we can never hear the music so we missed out on that aspect of it. Lowlights: - We completely missed the Clown Band! This was one of my main reasons for going. As I’ve attested before, I love them! I wish I had known when and where we could have seen them, but that wasn’t listed in the special brochure for the day. - The music from the DJ in front of Kings Island Theater was WAY too loud for my daughter to handle, so she did not get to interact with the HB characters at all. - We got to the park in the early afternoon, and we were directed to park in the grass right next to South Tolls. I expected as much, so it’s not really a gripe. At least I got some exercise to and from lunch! - We decided on Cinnabon to snack on during the fireworks. I got mine fine, but my uncle, who was in line directly behind me, was told that it would be another 15 minutes for any to be ready. Boo to the Cinnabon associates for poor planning on a crowded night when there was still 20 minutes to go before the posted park closing time (and 1 hour and 20 minutes until the time the park actually closed due to it’s extended hour). There were lots of people in line behind us who were none too happy also. But I decided to be nice and shared with my uncle. More to come as I write them...

My two worst park experiences: LeSourdesville Lake, when they re-opened for one season: http://www.KICentral.com/forums/index.php?...st&p=183289 and Kentucky Kingdom in 1998, pre-Six Flags.

Wow, so vegetarianism makes you a better shot? Where's deerhunter when you need him? I bet he would have something to say about that!

I just love all the plants still in their pots all along the Thomas track. I wonder if these will be planted or if they will be taken away after the media event.

^You beat me to it! I would suggest doing it this way rather than paying full price at the gate. You'll save a lot of nickels that you can spend on food instead!

^Wow, have fun. Things have definitely changed since 1983!

^Intentional or not, it's comments like Nitrox's that get me fired up, especially when I have two people close to me that are otherwise capable of having a great time at the park even if they do need a wheelchair to get around it.

Oh no, please tell me you did not just say that. Prepare for the wrath of the Gator... My sister has been going through treatments for cancer for several months now. She accompanied us, in her wheelchair, on opening day. She was able to ride SD&THC, KI&MVRR and enjoy the shows. But the part that she enjoyed the most was seeing her niece, my daughter, having a blast on the rides in Nick U. She wanted to attend the Knievel jump with us too, but unfortunately had to go to the hospital the day before. But her trip to KI brightened up her day and got her mind off the long winter months in and out of the hospital, and her upcoming surgery. So in your mind, she shouldn't have gone just because she's in a wheelchair??? One of my best friends has been in a wheelchair for 16 years now due to a snow skiing accident when he was a teen. He is and always has been very active. He is able to water ski, snow ski, and plays quad rugby. He is a KI season pass holder, and is physically able to ride every ride at the park, with the exception of the waterslides in Boomerang Bay of course. He also enjoys seeing his son on the rides in Nick U. But he should not be able to enjoy the park just like everyone else just because he's in a wheelchair? Should he also not go to the NASCAR races with us at Bristol like he has every August for the past 10 years? Believe it or not, just because a person is not able to walk does not mean that they cannot enjoy almost everything that a fully able-bodied person can. To think otherwise is extremely small minded. I highly suggest anyone who thinks this way to seek out the movie Murderball. It's a 2005 Oscar nominated film about the US Paralympic Quad Rugby team (my friend was recently in contention to join this team for the upcoming Paralympics in Beijing, but unfortunately got cut during the selection process). This movie just may change your mind as to what people in chairs are capable of. And just try telling these guys that they shouldn't go to a place like Kings Island. As this quote from Mark Zupan, one of the guys featured in the film, suggests, there are plenty of wheelchair bound people who can manage quite well: "You're not gonna hit a kid in a chair? Hit me... I'll hit you back." http://www.murderballmovie.com/

From the Columbus Dispatch article that jzarley posted: Billed by whom? Coolangata Racer was a head-first water slide before Dolphin Dash. But a quick look at the description of Dolphin Dash on the park's website does not have that claim.

I loved Nightmare Estates. My wife and I went there years ago with friends. I was the last in line, my wife was in front of me holding my hand. We boarded the bus, Freddy Krueger was in the driver's seat. As soon as I pass by, Freddy, who had been motionless until then, stood up and followed me to the back of the bus dragging the blades of his glove along the roof of the bus. This freaked my wife out so badly. One of the last scenes was a mad scientist lab. A guy with a humpback in a labcoat tapped me on the hand that my wife was holding. I knew immediately what he wanted to do, and being the good husband that I am, I readily agreed. We were able to switch hands, with the scaracter now holding my wife's hand, without her noticing the switch. We had made it through that scene and onto the next when my wife finally turned around to look at me, only it wasn't me! She screamed the loudest scream I have ever heard come from her. She was amazed (as was I) that we had successfully pulled that off. Nightmare Estates stands out in my mind as one of the best times we ever had at a haunt because of this.

I didn't see this posted anywhere on this site, a friend of mine just sent it to me. Robbie Kneivel Injured on Teacup Ride??? http://www.derfmagazine.com/news/sports/406.html I am thoroughly confused by this one... When did KI get a teacup ride??? It took out two long ago. This is a prime example of mis-reporting. Edit: Oops, I just looked at some of the other headlines on this site, and it is clearly a joke website similar to The Onion.

If he were actually so convinced, there would not be such deep discounts. Mr. Kinzel is not the only one that is guilty of making these claims. The chain that numbers it's flags has made similar comments and have slashed it's prices similar and more drastically than CF. CF's new version of pricing integrity is making Mr. Kinzel's prediction a self-fulfilling prophecy!

I noticed just the opposite while waiting in line for SB3D on 5/24! Out of the nearly 20 cycles that went by while we waited there, only 4 (yes, my uncle and I actually counted) were dispatched together. This has been my biggest gripe about the "nostalgia of racing" this year. Luckily I have not seen one side closed entirely yet as I have predicted will be the case, but every visit, whenever I am close enough to Racer to see it go by, I pay close attention (it's my new hobby, and a fun game to play at the park). Now that my daughter can ride Monster, this provides an opportune time to watch as well. Including the 4 times in the SB3D line, the total number of times I have seen both Red and Blue dispatched at the same time is 6. And believe me, there's plenty of time to watch while stuck in the load/unload portion, and the queue, of Monster. Hopefully this is not representative of what is typically happening, but my small and admittedly unscientific study does not bode well for the racing of Racer.

She is probably thinking about Twisted Twins at Kentucky Kingdom, which is not operating this year and is no longer on their website as a ride.

At the same time she left the job, she had also moved without giving her former roomates her forwarding information, so they were getting calls too. However, once we did find out a number for her, we were sure to give it to the callers. That pretty much took care of it, but I don't think you'll be as lucky in your situation.

One thing I really wish the park had done before now in regards to tomorrow is release a schedule of events. Give us times as to when the bands are performing, what time the air show is occuring, when we might be able to see the the clown band, etc. The group that went with us for our first visit of the year is going again tomorrow. My sister is currently undergoing some medical treatments that make her ache, and she has asked me what time everything is because she's not sure how long she'll be able to stay. We know the jump is at 7:00, and expanded fireworks at 10:00, but she really wants to go and see everything. My wife, daughter and I will most likely head up in the early afternoon to get some rides in, and meet up with the rest of the group when they come later. I'm thinking about heading to the park early morning by myself to see if they give out some type of flier with this information, and head back later with the rest of the family. I'd call the park to ask them, but that's not always the most reliable of information. If they do give something out, I would be able to let my sister know what time she can go. I'm able to take it easy for a normal trip there, but with all these special events going on I would have liked to have been able to plan a little better. If they had posted something on the website more than this for the event details, it would have been helpful. Hopefully I'm not the only one out there who thinks this way!

Yes, with the weak US dollar, people from other countries are getting more bang for their buck (or Euro, or yen, or...) than in previous years, so Disney will may make up for lack of US tourists with foreign visitors. We are still making our pilgrimage to WDW in September this year. Early this year we got a flier from WDW with 40% off resort rates during non-peak times. We took advantage of this, and at the beginning of March got non-stop round trip plane tickets from Cincy to Orlando for $280 total per person. I checked the same flights two days ago, and the price has jumped to $759.50 total per person. I'm glad we got them when we did, otherwise we would have had to pay $1678.50 total more for the 3 of us. But then again, this is the first time we've ever been able to fly without a lay-over. I normally would have chosen a flight with one, but the price for our non-stop was great! I'm not looking forward to gassing the rental car to visit my wife's family on the gulf coast, and then across the state to more relatives on the Atlantic coast. Thankfully Florida is a narrow state! The biggest pain in the pump for me will be our annual Nascar Weekend. I and 4 other guys rent an RV and go to Bristol every August. It's always been a lot to fill that up, but I think we can count on it being even more this time!

Both times I've seen the show (4/20 and 5/18) it's been Josh. We had a good conversation with him after the 5/18 show. I just love how they interact with the crowd during and after the show. My wife even got "checked for Ticks" this last time, and my daughter is just in awe when the guys talk to her afterward. Come to think of it, it's only been the guys that have talked to us, not the girls. Is there something about me that scares the girls away every time?

As I stated here, I didn't mind the call myself. I was just posting for those that do have an issue with it. And iChase, I feel your pain. Once when I was promoted, I inherited the phone number of the person who held the position before me. I had debt collectors calling me at my new office number who would not believe me when I told them that she no longer worked there.

If that is what they told you, the park is in violation of federal law if they call you again. From the National Do Not Call Registry FAQ: I think you'll need to escalate your request to the supervisor/manager and make them aware of this. If you do that, please let us know their response. I'd be very interested to hear what the park says to that.