XGatorHead 8904

I agree with all of the tips that everyone has provided so far. Rides: excellent, Shows: excellent, Food: excellent. We were season pass holders there last year and enjoyed each and every visit. We were even there on the busiest day in the park's history, and the lines were not bad at all. Tornado is the best Arrow looper (or half of an Arrow looper as some people say), Thunderhead is my #3 woodie, and I love Mystery Mine and Blazing Fury in all its 1970's glory (although I miss the splashdown ). Wild Eagle is pretty good. It's relaxing, not intense in my opinion. It swoops and soars pretty much like riding along with an eagle... although I'm pretty sure I've never seen a bald eagle fly upside down... There is not a bad place to eat in the park. Miss Lillian's is our favorite, but all of the other places are just as good. Love the giant skillets! My last piece of advice is DO NOT... UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES... ride Lemon Twist with dare-to-fly! (that's the only time I've ever had to sit down after a ride to recuperate!) We're really bummed that we don't have season passes there this year (there's certain issues in the extended family that we anticipate will occupy our time and money this summer, and possibly next summer too, so we don't forsee being able to visit DW as often as we would like). The other day, out of the blue GatorGirl said, "I can't believe we're not going to Dollywood until November!" I sadly said, "I know..." But on the bright side, the family issues may lead us to Florida, where we hope to make a side trip to a certain magical place in the middle of the state.

^I agree! Too much headbanging on Maverick for it to come anywhere close to my Top 10.

How soon we forget the impact that Flight of Fear had on the industry, as it was the first coaster to use LIMs.

^They've brought them out for Haunt the past several years. A few years ago the figures were on the bandstand at the end of the fountain, last year they were over in Rivertown. The furnace from Phantom Theater is used in Slaughter House. "How about some HEAT?"

Good to see Montgomery Inn ribs & pulled pork coming back to the park. I never dined at the International Restaurant when it was open (although I've been up there plenty of times since), so a full service restaurant at KI will be a new experience to me. Can't wait to try it.

I like it... the sight of me in a speedo would be sure to send 'em running in fear! We could get a whole bunch of us from Slaughter House for an even better worse reaction! Sorry to put that image in everyone's head...

That's happened to me there, and that may be the incident you're referring to. I forget who was with me at the time. I was quite perturbed, and pointed out to the ride op that it was in a zippered or velcroed pocket. It didn't make any difference. I unhappily handed over my phone, but that day I learned a valuable lesson: Never get your cell phone out in a Holiday World station!

All drinks will now be served in Red Solo Cups! Let's have a party! There's plenty of red there during Haunt!

Then there were those of us... okay, it was just me... who went to ERT on opening day and then the wedding!

I really haven't been on since Friday (except for one post yesterday where I went straight to that topic)... got quite a shock when I returned today. Looks nice!

Thanks Kat, I knew you would come through with an answer. I'm surprised by the fact you fit in Intamins but not B&Ms, as usually it's the other way around. That just goes to show that proportions have more to do with actual weight or size. Yup, I'm one of those that fit on most B&M's (with the exception of Raptor, and sometimes WE) but not older Intamin's. Drop Tower, Millie, TTD and WT are all no's, but I fit on Maverick & Kingda Ka just fine.

I must be out of it. I've never heard of the Harlem Shake.

Those look to be pretty much the same seats/restraints as Wild Eagle at Dollywood. Sometimes I fit on WE, sometimes I didn't. I'm not sure if WE had "big boy" seats or not. One of the first times I rode it, they had me switch rows to try to get me on (it worked). We asked several different ride ops at different times of the year if there was a certain row that could accomadate bigger people, and each time I was told there was not or they weren't sure. Now that my friend who helped squeeze me on the first day is a Team Lead on WE this year, I'll get a definite answer to that question. The fact that CP flat out mentioned that there would be big boy seats in row 4 gives me hope for GK, more hope than I did, or even still have, for WE.

I loved the Dollar Days! I ate WAY too many cheese coneys and pizza slices that day! Up until last year, we were one of those families that, if we were staying the whole day at the park, we ate in the parking lot. With the introduction of Fun Perks and the special deals such as the burger combos in Soak City, we didn't have a parking lot picnic at all in 2012. On the visits that I didn't have the family with me, Hank's Burrito Shack increased my personal per cap too (GatorGirl's a picky eater and didn't like anything there, hence the reason I ate there when they weren't with me). Chipotle-like food, rewards for spending money, better meal deals that a family of three or individuals can actually use (unlike the old "Buy a pizza, 4 salads and 4 drinks for $XX.99 deals they had in the past) and now the re-introduction of German food to the park... I see myself continuing to spend more money in the park again this year.

^No, he's referring to the fact that the word "Forums" is misspelled in the image on the front page.

Wow... I love the trains, especially the lit-up eyes. I know which row I'll be in this summer! And thank you CP for thinking of us larger folks... It's bad enough that I can't ride Millie, TTD, WT and Raptor (and CCMR, but I don't really miss that one). Everything else I fit on, so I know I'll at least have a chance with GK!

I, too, enjoyed that. Of course they should have just rolled out the red carpet for her. I hope her credit card never gets stolen, she'd have to learn the other side of identity theft. I loved that comment too, especially after having worked Admissions at KI for 10 years. I cannot tell you how many times I had to call Security for people using someone else's pass. The pictures are taken for a reason!

Mrs. Gator and GatorGirl don't seem to have fundraising pages when I click on Team KIC. Is that a glitch, or did you forget something? It's not a glitch. GatorGirl, being only 8 years old, doesn't have an email account of her own, so I was planning to use mine for both of us. But when I went to set up her page and entered my email address for her account, it logged me into my page and wouldn't let me set her up. I sent an email for help to First Giving but never received a response, so I just used an email account that Mrs. Gator has that we haven't checked regularly lately. GatorGirl's page is now up as of today, but Mrs. Gator needs to set hers up still.

The Gator family has officially signed up with Team KIC!

O. M. G!!! As if Hank's Burrito Shack didn't cause me to spend more money at the park last year, now they're bringing back German food?!?!? I'll have some tough choices this year. Hank's or Bier Garten? I think I'll just have to make it easy on myself and alternate each time. I loved my days of working Bier Garten in '92 & '93 (or actually Oktoberfest Gardens as it was known then, but I always liked the name Bier Garten better), and I am so glad they're bringing it back, even if it is just the back bar.

^Did it for you. Here's the link to jandyb's interview post: http://www.KICentral.com/forums/index.php?/topic/23109-the-bat/?p=478222 ... and to the beginning of that topic: http://www.KICentral.com/forums/index.php?/topic/23109-the-bat/

You do know that KI Enthusiast Dude is a fictional character... right? He's an amalgam of different traits common to the sterotypical coaster enthusiast. I've known his wife for years, and just found out at Coasting for Kids last year that her husband plays him. (Oops, should I have put a spoiler alert before this post? ) I officially joined KIC October 8, 2007. I looked in on PKIU every once in a while back in the day, but never joined because of my position at the park at the time. A few months after I started my current job, I found that I could be on the website between calls, so I joined up.

^How about this one then... The real reason they took out the water in Blazing Fury's splashdown was because someone fell out and nearly drowned, but was saved when the fireman finally made it all the way down the pole in the station and pulled them to safety! (You asked for a rumor, you got one...) FIRE IN THE HOLE!!!

I like riding with friends and family, but my absolute favorite person to ride with is my daughter, GatorGirl, especially if it marks some sort of "first" for her. My avatar is the two of us on Tennessee Tornado (picture was taken on the final brake run, which we had been sitting on for over 5 minutes by that point). It was her first time on it, and her first time to be on any coaster with inversions. When we started that day, she said she wasn't ready to go upside down on a coaster, so we let it go and didn't pressure her. But she heard all of us talking about how fun TT is, and she changed her mind. She of course loved it, and also did Mystery Mine that day. Two weeks later, she rode Vortex for the first time (again with me) and loved that too.

^ I don't have one. My wife would be mad at me if I did.