XGatorHead 8904

I had a similar situation at a park (that shall remain nameless) last year, but it wasn't because the restraint wasn't working, it was because of my size and the bar wouldn't go down all the way to a locked position. The ride op told me to just hold it down and I would be fine. I rode it anyway and lived to tell the tale. If GatorGirl had been in the seat with me I would not have ridden in that scenario, but she was in the seat behind me with Mrs. Gator. Looking back, I should have just done a Walk of Shame (which I'm not really ashamed to do anymore, so that's a misnomer to me. If I don't fit, I don't fit. C'est la vie, no use getting upset about it... unless I just rode the ride, got right back on it again same seat, different train and don't fit... That's right FoF, I'm talking about you! Show some consistency! And no, FoF isn't the ride that I rode with an unlocked restraint). I later spoke with another ride op from that park about the situation. I said "That shouldn't have happened, right?" and he confirmed that it should not have. At a later time I went back and rode the ride and that time the restraint did go down to the locked position.

I'm not sure where you're getting your information. KI's Scrambler's minimum height requirement is 36", the same as Scarecrow Scrambler. Monster is 40" so you were correct on that one. At both parks, people of your sister's height are required to ride with an adult, so that helps too. My daughter has ridden Scrambler and Monster since she was 3. She's very skinny and has had no problems on these types of rides.

That's the same summer I made my one and only trip to KK, and that visit ranks as one of my worst park experiences anywhere (and I've only ever had two bad park visits, the other being LeSourdsville Lake).

The handstamp I got at Boomerang Bay on Sunday was black and dried very quickly. I noticed it was very sticky when the security guard (yes, security guard... not Admissions associate) put it on me.

^I knew that's what you meant and I hope you didn't take my post the wrong way. It was meant as a little joke and that's why I had the in there. I'm biased about Intamins too, but tend to be biased against them due to the fact that I can't ride a lot of them. However, they've made some steps in the right direction in regards to bigger people on their newer coasters at parks I've recently been to (Fahrenheit and Maverick), but have made backwards steps from what I hear on some of their existing coasters by tightening the belts even further on the other ones at CP. And an Intamin is my #2 steel coaster (ah yes, Millie, I will get down to a weight where I can ride you again. I miss you!) Until then, give me some B&M goodness! (as long as a certain Arrow suspended coaster gets to stay)

^Of course, ours doesn't have the fire and water effects that are in that video, and has a different ride program, but that video will give you the general idea of what the ride is. I say if you haven't ridden it before, ride it. You may end up loving it, you may not. But you'll never know until you ride.

I noticed that too. I know where CP can get a GIANT top spin. And they wouldn't even have to pay for it, only for the relocation. Then again, CP already has a ferris wheel.

I got my hand stamped yesterday and was very pleasantly surprised at the new ink they're using. It was much more durable than the stuff they used last year (and even earlier this year). It lasted through several handwashings yesterday but is completely gone today. It's not the blacklight reactive ink that I was responsible for ordering back in the Paramount days, but kudos to KI Admissions for finding much better ink! I don't get my hand stamped too often, but I'll have to try it out again on my next several visits to see if it was just a fluke or if it is actually that much better. Gator, who considers himself somewhat of an expert in re-entry ink!

I really beg to differ then. I see whole families there together a lot. We're one of those families, and I can't count the number of times that we've run into friends where both parents and all the kids are there together, and these are families of the non-enthusiast variety. And that's just a small cross section of visitors. Spend more time in Planet Snoopy, or around Viking Fury, Scrambler, Monster and Boomerang Bay. You may just change your mind!

^That's what I'm wondering. Mrs. Gator, GatorGirl and I are a family, and we go to the park together quite a bit...

I completely blame the article's author for this: That should be John Philip Sousa! Gator, proud sousaphone player for the past 23 years! I'm sure that Paramount doesn't understand, given that they're no longer in the Ohio theme park business!

I thought maybe Run Kings Island at first too, but figured not since one sign says "Start" and the Run Kings Island course doesn't start there, it starts out in the parking lot.

When we were at the park on June 26th, we decided to sit near the Royal Fountain so Mrs. Gator and I could enjoy our Graeter's and GatorGirl could enjoy her watermelon rock candy from the Candy Shop. Out of the blue GatorGirl asks "Daddy, why does that tree say '2 deg Y'?" I looked to where she was pointing and saw what she was talking about: I told her I didn't know, but took a picture of it. This tree is next to the Royal Fountain just outside the Candy Shop. My next visit a few days later I happened to see this tree again, and wondered if there were any more trees with signs on them around the fountain. So I walked around the fountain and found one more: This one is right outside the Keyhole Photo location at Emporium, near the Eiffel Tower. These are the only two I found, and I haven't noticed any others around the park. Has anyone here seen any others, and do any of you know what they're for?

Yes. Gator, doing what Terpy chose not to do for once. It's a rare occasion when Terpy passes that chance up!

^It has been released on dvd, see my link in post #5 above.

But the park already has 5 Intamins: Congo Falls, Drop Tower, Eiffel Tower, Viking Fury and Whitewater Canyon! I completely agree with you. My daughter did just that on Blazing Fury last year. That's how we know we're raising them right! I'm just waiting for the day when she hits that magical 48" height.

One's named Fred... Mercury would make sense for the other one if they want a little Queen at Kings Island.

We do the parking lot picnic thing several times a year. We don't eat out of the car though, we take our cooler out to the grass strip in the middle of the parking lot, spread out a blanket, and have a nice picnic. Since we park in the gold pass lot, it's just a short walk from our car to the grassy area. We do it for mainly three reasons. First, it saves money on food. Second, it saves time in that we don't have to drive anywhere to save money on food that is cheaper than inside the park. Third, we're able to pack items that are healthier than the majority of the food in the park (fresh fruit, salads, etc.). Plus by eating healthier food then, we don't feel as bad when we get that blue ice cream or cinnabon that we just have to have!

I've heard good things about the food at Outer Hanks in the recent past. It's been a few years since I've eaten there myself, but it was good back then.

I love Zippers. Mrs. Gator dragged me on my first one years ago. I didn't want to ride it, but it was worth it. It's a totally frightening ride, but one I can't pass up now!

I know that the greenhouse is KI's, and I believe that pond is too.

We tried the Backyard BBQ this year, and we were very happy with it. That and Rivertown Junction are the two best food values in the park, although most of the time we will eat outside the park or have a parking lot picnic and then have an ice cream or other treat in the park.

Welcome to KIC! You've gotten some good advice from others, but I didn't see this addressed yet. Years ago the park used to cut the ride lines before closing so that the rides would be done before fireworks. So sometimes you couldn't get in line for a ride after 9:30 or so as you noted above because they already had enough riders in line to carry them to 10:00. The park no longer does that. The ride lines now close at 10:00 (or whatever time the park closes). So if you get to FH by 9:55, you should be able to ride (given that the ride doesn't experience downtime then!).

I went to the preview of Despicable Me last night in Springdale, and when they dimmed the lights before the movie, someone in the row behind me said, "Maybe it's a power outage. Oh wait, no, that's Kings Island!"

There was a topic like this a few years ago: http://www.KICentral.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=12823&st=0 Here's my experiences with animals in the park, from that topic: