KIfan73

Strange enough, I've found it to be almost impossible to buy something at the Sweet Spot. Twice last year, and once this year, the employees were in a constant conversation between each other, and it was almost impossible to get their attention to get them to wait on me. Twice, I've had to just lay down what I was going to purchase and leave.

Thanks! 99.9% of the time that I visit the park, I am turning left. However, I stayed in Mason for the Gold Pass Preview night last month, and have only entered the new entrance from the south.

Is there a light at the intersection if you are turning left (travelling south) on Kings Island Drive? If so, does it have a leading green left turn signal?

And if my memory is correct, it still had wild animals nearby, as well.

You have to cringe at the banner they put across for the news story above "Don't Waste Your Money; Kings Island Amusement Park". Probably not what the park was hoping for when they added a new entrance.

This may have been brought up in the last 75 pages, but could the "falling trees" (Timber!!!), have anything to do with these? http://www.gravitykraft.com/timberliner/

I just hope there were some very sound reasons why they needed to change the entrance. The entrance to a world class amusement park that has managed to stay alive since 1972 isn't something that should be taken lightly, and hopefully it wasn't. An issue that I wonder about from the one time that I've used the entrance is the length. With the entry lanes so long, it would allow for people to really gain some speed before they reach the tolls, allowing for those people with less than good judgement to "jockey" for position.

http://www.wcpo.com/money/consumer/dont-waste-your-money/wrong-lane-on-kings-island-exit-can-cost-you-18

Since we're back at the decoding thing again, can anyone point to any of the "clues" that the park put out for Diamondback or Banshee that, if somehow correctly interpreted, gave an actual hint to what was going to be constructed?

That sounds like a pretty good little side trip I might do sometime when I visit the park. That's been one of my favorite things I've done over the years is to explore the area(s) around Kings Island.

This could just be my imagination, but I feel like I've noticed a general change in people's attitudes when I've visited Kings Island. One of the nice things about going there was that it seemed like an upbeat, fun place to be. Anymore, it's almost like being at the BMV. People standing in line because they want to use their season long dining plan. Other people standing in line to refill their drink cups. People elbowing each other in line to get their Fast Lane passes. I would imagine FunPix is going to be the same. All of these opportunities for pre-visit spending seems to have given the vibe that almost everyone there is there to "collect" what they've already spent money on. No more "Wow, we got to visit Kings Island today, let's have fun". Now it's "I had better get what I've been promised or there's going to be h*** to pay!"

I've come to the conclusion during the last few seasons that, while maybe just short of impossible, it's definitely not worth the hassle to eat at Kings Island. My only visit this season was the gold pass preview night. Even on that night, my usual "go to" place (RHoFG) didn't work out. Both the hostess and myself agreed it was best if I didn't stick around. While maybe not indicative of what it will be like once the season gets rolling, the food service experience park-wide was certainly similar to the last few seasons. Luckily, I can get by for hours without a lot to eat. However, I really feel for those with families with small children that have to eat while they are there. It just seems like it would be a nightmare.

In the midst of all the continuous speculation, it would be so interesting to hear why a certain attraction was chosen to be placed in a certain spot. Not that they ever would (or could) ever release that kind of information, but it would be fascinating to learn about.

One of the most useful things I've learned from my many years on this forum is the phrase "those who know don't tell, those who tell don't know"...I use it often, much to the chagrin of my friends and family.

If you haven't visited the site vintageaerial.com, it is really interesting. I have searched the Warren County area in the past for shots of the Kings Island area before it was built, but the older pictures don't have the flight path they used detailed like they have more recent pics. Anyway, I did a quick search of the Columbia Road area from 1968, and came across this. I'm not saying this is the house, but if you compare this pic to shots of the fort in the Bing maps view, it does look similar. Maybe someone that has actually saw the old house could confirm or deny? Once again, this shot is from 1968. Other pics of the area: http://vintageaerial.com/photos/ohio/warren/1968/OWA/58 http://assets.vintageaerial.com/39/165/1968/OWA/650x433w/058-OWA-36.jpg

I have no interest in the re-fillable cups. I couldn't drink that much pop. IF they had a re-fillable COFFEE cup with stations all over the park, however, that would be AMAZING!!

Many have posted that the zoos, etc. run successful Christmas events in Ohio. I'd also like to throw in Easton Town Center, and other malls similar to it. Easton is packed all the time, including during the Christmas season, and it involves A LOT of outdoor walking...If Kings Island could tap into the the Christmas shoppers/diners with some unique merchandise, it could help bring in more people.

Finishing that toll building on time must have been one of the more stressful projects...you're throwing a huge party with thousands of people coming, and they all have to pass through that gate to get in!

I've always hated the thought of them "messing" with the entrance like that. One of my favorite things about KI is the entrance building, just as it is. Having said that, if there's not a coaster zipping over and through the entrance of Kings Island within the next 3 years, I will be really surprised.

While I really like RHoFG, I can't help but think how perfect that would have been in the old International Restaurant location.

On Bing maps, you can get a real good look at the area they are working on: It just seems like a really somewhat obscure area for (what appears to be) so much work going on...

It certainly looks like it. That building looks fantastic. You know, we are all so spoiled by Kings Island's normal capital improvement budget. This may seem like an "off" year to some people, but that building alone is a sizable investment/project...not to mention the new slide complex. Kings Island's construction might is really staggering, when you think about it....

You know, I've thought that whole area looks like it could be a water feature. Do I really think that could happen, though? No. But I would probably be in the severe minority in that I would be more excited about a new pond than a new roller coaster. Speaking of, I was hoping that the "digging" viewable in the Banshee cam was a new pond as part of a possible new area.

Much like a discussion that was going on with games a few weeks ago, it's important to remember that, for many families, a trip to Kings Island is a HUGE deal. And might only happen once, or once every few (or many) years. I know that those photographers many years ago captured moments with people that I most likely will never visit Kings Island with again.

I'm surprised they don't have photographers lined up for when you drive into the parking lot... "Oh, there's a picture of us driving into Kings Island from our trip last summer!".... CarPix anyone??