violakat03

I ... don't pay attention? I wrote "mist" in the caption to the picture. And realized that it was mist. But for some reason ... didn't connect that it wasn't fog? It's late. Either way. Some sort of smoke/fog/dry ice fog/mist should be brought back to Flight Deck. So there. I never rode it when the effects were working so I had no idea what it used.

Hey look, I'm the second follower. Sweet!

I missed that one. My bad. Either way, they can make it happen again. Cedar Point's got enough fog going on with Iron Dragon they could just ship the extra down here. http://www.flickr.com/photos/violakat03/27...57606495592725/

Just because the machines may not be there any more doesn't mean it's gone. Fog machines cost what, a hundred bucks a piece? Maybe more for a high quality one? And they have PLENTY during Haunt (I actually had breathing problems and had to get medical attention on the last day of Haunt, the fog was so thick in Coney Mall), they can just relocate a few for permanent use. Judging by the answer I got from Don Helbig when I asked a direct question about theming (and I mentioned Flight Deck's fog by name along with BLSC's fog and water effects), I'd say it's not out of the question whatsoever. He said things like that are on their list of 'to do' but not a top priority.

This year I'm planning on getting a shirt for my husband .. we never found it in 2x last year at CP or KI though both carried it in smaller sizes ... "I am secure enough in my masculinity to scream like a little girl."

I don't mean to be a jerk, but you've asked a bunch of questions in individual threads about employee stuff. When you do your orientation all these questions will be answered, and if they aren't, you can ask them then and get an answer directly from the folks who know. Patience grasshopper.

If you were hired, you'll get an employee handbook when you process (turn in all your final hiring paperwork), before you go to training.

I was planning to try later in the season as well, for the same reason. Jobs will start opening up, so you'll have a better chance at the position you really want if you aren't fighting the crowd for it. A big chunk of employees will only stay for a month, maybe two. The turnover for new hires is pretty high, especially when they're young and realize they're giving up their summer break to work. I'm going to aim for late July or August, when people start going back to school. I figure that will give me a good chance at the job choice I want, and also gives me the entire summer free beforehand. If all else fails, I know they're always short on ride ops towards the end of the season so even if I don't get the merch trainer position, then I should at least get to work on a coaster.

I was thinking it may be like a few other rides I've ridden, it may have separate exits for the front and back of the train. I can't remember what I've seen that did it that way. It clears the station out faster because you don't have people tripping over each other trying to put stuff in bins and getting in the way of those exiting.

My application says it is under review by the department I applied for (human resources) and that they will contact me. I'm not going to the job fair, so I guess I'll wait to see if HR does indeed contact me. I applied for a department trainer position. If I don't get a call back from them, I will be giving them a call later on this season to ask to be considered for other departments, but I'm not in any hurry. As for the guy who turned down the marketing position ... with a degree, he should be getting more than $8/hr, absolutely. He's better off in pizza delivery - the money is definitely better. The entry-level marketing position with KI, from what I read of it, is designed for someone who has no experience or education in marketing, such as a college student. He can get into something much stronger than that with his degree, though so many people hold marketing degrees now a days that it will be tough competition. Marketing is sort of like psychology and history degrees - you major in it if you aren't sure what you want to do, so unfortunately the market's a little flooded for those who have a serious interest in pursuing it. That's why I'm majoring in biology - the proportion of bio grads to jobs available is much different than in my old major of anthropology.

That is really cool, and a great idea for those who haven't got the financial means to have a fancy dinner outing. If I liked White Castle at all (I was born hating it - it's a long story) this would be a very viable option, but I'll just be content with spending time with my husband.

The best time to go is early in the season, before all the local schools let out. Especially if you hit it in those few weekdays it'll be open in May. Watch out for Math & Science days, those are always packed. If you're going on weekends, definitely go on Sunday. Friday and Saturday are the two worst days to go and late June through July is also the worst time to go. The days to completely avoid the park are Math & science days, any kind of event day (like the Robbie Kneivel event last year, or big corporate picnics where they don't rent out the park - such as Saturn Day), and Saturdays during Halloween Haunt. Those kind of days bring in a lot of people who don't normally go to the park, so lines will become outrageous. I went the last Saturday of park operation last year and it was insane with no ride having less than an hour wait, and when I went to Saturn Day a couple years back (they had free parking for Saturn drivers, all the new cars out on display, the Saturn lightship flying overhead, etc), I remember waiting an hour and a half for Son of Beast. For rides - try to ride everything. It is very manageable in one day with proper timing. I'll break them down into section - you can go either clockwise around the park (Action Zone - Coney Mall - Rivertown) or counter-clockwise (Rivertown - Coney Mall - Action Zone). The park is laid out in essentially a spoke-and-wheel pattern with the Eiffel Tower at the center. I tend to work counter-clockwise on the first pass, and then just go wherever for re-rides. Rivertown: The Beast is usually walk-on early in the morning and sometimes all through the day if it isn't too busy. I rode it four times without leaving the station (they didn't make me get out if no one was waiting for the seat) on a week day in mid-June right around lunch time. Fair warning, The Beast WILL have a line once it gets dark out, because everyone knows that's the best time to ride. It could be walk-on all day, but as soon as dusk falls, it will be no less than 30 minutes. I've waited as long as 2 hours for it at night on incredibly busy days (like Saturdays during Haunt). The Crypt is often times walk on but it has a deceptive queue line, so you can't ever tell if it's long or not. Hit it early or late, but not when it's hot out because it's an indoor ride, with air conditioning in the ride and queue, that everyone will flee to if it gets too hot outside. Being a new coaster that everyone is very excited about, Diamondback will have a multiple hour wait for most of the day unless you're there first thing, and then you might get away with 1-2 hours (including time spent waiting to be allowed to walk back to it). Coney Mall: Vortex and BLSC will be walk on in the morning, but neither of them get incredibly busy if it's a normal (a.k.a. not busy) day. On Vortex, they actually have the middle rows closed early in the morning because there's so little line, however that can mean you'll miss the best seats (5-1 and 7-1 are both popular on this board, 5-1 being the seat the ride was designed around). Both rides have fairly fast moving queues so they may look deceptively long but be a 10 minute wait. The Racer is a cannot-miss ride, it is known as the coaster that began the Second Golden Age of coasters and making the wooden coaster popular again, not to mention just an all-around fun woodie. Unless the park is insanely busy, it will be walk-on. If you see that one train isn't running or they aren't racing them, skip it and come back to it, because it is infinitely more fun when they are racing and you can taunt the other train going up the chain hill. X-base (inside Coney Mall - accessed by going under the lift hill of The Racer): Flight of Fear and Firehawk tend to have long lines, even when the park isn't that busy. Firehawk because it is low capacity, and Flight of Fear because it's inside and everyone flees to it's air conditioning when it starts getting hot out. FOF is usually shortest very early and very late - if you can get there in the last hour of park operating hours, even on the super busy days it'll only be a 30 minute wait. On normal days it will be walk on late at night, but on those days you'll be able to get a 30 minute wait earlier and use the late hours for night rides on The Beast. Firehawk, expect to wait 30 minutes, be excited if you get on it in less. Mornings and evenings again are best. Action Zone: Son of Beast and Flight Deck, unless it is a very busy day, will have short waits pretty much all day. Ride Flight Deck in the very last car, back seat if you can manage it. You get more swing out of the car back there. Son of Beast, ride in the front unless you want to need a chiropractor afterward. Drop Tower and Delirium usually have nice short waits, so you can enjoy them multiple times if you like them, but make sure you hit both at least once as they're both great rides. Invertigo has horrible capacity, so unless it looks walk-on or you just really want to ride it, skip it. Even with 30 people in line, it's a 10 minute wait. Other areas to hit include International Street with the Eiffel Tower. Definitely make a trip up to the top for great photo opportunities and an awesome view of the whole park. Not far from the Eiffel Tower are the Tower Gardens, which is a nice quiet and peaceful walk through some trees for a nice time-out if you need one. The Grand Carousel is something you should ride if you like a historical ride or just a good carousel. I make it a point to ride every carousel I come across, personally, I believe they are highly under appreciated rides. Also, hiding in what's left of Oktoberfest is Viking Fury, which is arguably one of the best placed viking ships out there (it sits over the water) and is always walk-on. Just be wary of screaming girls, there will be plenty. In Nickoldeon Central, the Runaway Reptar is a fun little mini-inverted coaster, and Fairly Odd Coaster is a historic family wooden coaster that is worth a look if you have time. Avatar: The Last Airbender is also a very fun ride if you can get to it with no wait - it's usually really busy on weekends and early in the day when there's the most kids in the park. If you're into water parks, Boomerang Bay is a great one with lots of slide types to choose from and a nice big wave pool. And if you make sure to post in the "Trip Reports" section before you go, you can be sure to meet up with some KICers and get a personal guide while there!

There's a second bidder, though it seems the first bidder has a more solid plan and since they've already put in a down payment and secured full financing, I'm thinking they will most likely get it. It appears to me that the second bidder is more of a "feeler" bid to see if they'd actually be able to get the park, where as the first one is more of a "we want this and we've already done what's necessary to get it." http://www.wistv.com/global/story.asp?s=98...tType=Printable

I'm glad to hear that. I was hoping that was the plan. Kudos to all of you involved in the bidding for KIC.

HUMM!! I wonder if that was planned? Are there other light on in the park? I am in Indy, so I dont know what the park is expected to look like at night in the off season. It's pretty dark at night in the off season. Drove past there the other night at 4 a.m. - the only lights on were the blinking ones on the tops of the tall structures, the signboard, and it seemed like most of the parking lot lights. None of the ride lights (such as the chasing lights on Vortex and Racer) are operating.

After working pre-season in the Emporium, I have a fear of public bulk candy bins. I saw a little girl (probably around 4) walking around with a jaw breaker licking it most of the time she and her mother were in the store, and then hiding it when her mom turned around. I thought it was cute at the time, but didn't realize she wasn't just hiding that she was eating it early - she was hiding that she had it at all. As I was cleaning up the store later on in that shift, I found the partially licked jaw breaker back in the bin with the others.

I hate self-made POVs. I'd rather see a professional POV with a mounted camera than a shaky, horrible quality cell phone video with a gang banger's idiotic comments in the background and showing more of the restraints and floor of the car than of the ride itself.

KICentral is currently the number 2 bidder at $600, but I'm not sure if it's being bid with advertising revenue, a group effort, or by an individual member.

My mom says she had no idea you couldn't take pictures from rides. I seriously thought it was announced everywhere clearly enough (as well as being common sense) that no one could think this. But .. she says she had no idea and has done it. Keep in mind, she doesn't ride anything more dangerous than Adventure Express. She said she's taken pictures of me and my brother on Shake Rattle & Roll, the octopus, and even Splash Mountain at WDW. All during parts where it was smooth enough she could turn and snap a pic of us with a manual focus camera.

People are cheap. Why spend $10 on a well-positioned, clear, safe picture of you while the ride is (usually) doing something cool, when you can take a free crappy self-portrait while climbing the lift hill? I can kind of understand snapping a quick pick of something you can only see from on the ride (I will admit one instance of stupidity and guilt on this one) but even then ... look for a better vantage point or wait till someone like Don Helbig decides to climb the ride structure and take that pic instead. I probably risked my camera the most on the Eiffel Tower of any ride this season, since it spent all it's time in my cargo pockets on coasters. However, I did hold it outside the bars on the Eiffel Tower to get clear pictures and I didn't have a wrist strap on it at the time. My husband was freaking out ... but I had an absolutely firm grip on it with both hands at all times!

You mean you can go past it on I-71 without getting off to drive past and say hi? I wasn't driving. And we'd been working for about 12 hours at that point and were just ready to get home. 300 miles of driving without leaving the Cincinnati metro area will take it right out of you.

Probably because the OP is new. And I will be highly upset if I never get to ride Twisted Twins.

When riding Magnum this past summer, the couple behind us decided to take a self portrait going up the chain hill. I turned and said "hang on a second, there's a camera coming up" and they looked at me blankly and proceeded to hold the camera up in full view to take multiple pictures of themselves. I told them two or three times to wait a second till there was a dead spot between cameras and they obviously had no idea what I was talking about. When we hit the brakes before the station at the end of the ride, I turned to them again and said "you guys need to be careful with the camera on the rides, you aren't allowed to take pictures during them. I was trying to tell you to put it down when the surveillance cameras could see you." Another blank look and then "oh, really? I didn't know that. I wonder why not?" Here's your sign, I guess. Good to know that if it had been Six Flags they might have been removed for being completely dense.

Yeah, that got a laugh out of me too. That was a nice burn. I also found it entertaining that the past page and a half was discussion of why the webcam was down - and no one had it right. It wasn't wind, it wasn't a conspiracy, it wasn't web traffic ... it was just maintenance.

It was announced a couple pages back that you CAN bring a guest. Make sure you read the entire thread. A lot of your questions were answered in the 'in between' pages.