alluna

Thanks for posting your experiences!

Don has always been courteous during the course of my press coverage of the park. He's quick to respond to questions and always a professional. I'm glad you asked this, because I was wondering, too! We saw the Fast Pass lines a couple of weeks ago during a *VERY* busy Saturday. If I had purchased a one-day ticket, I surely would have paid the extra for the Fast Pass! I can't imagine the disappointment of a ticket-buyer who has to battle 1 1/2 hour long lines all day. Definitely worth the cash for those folks.

I'm throwing in on Vortex, too. I lurrrv Vortex, but not the head bangin' good time it delivers. Yikes.

Top Gun song and... of course... anything by The Beach Boys! Nothing triggers memories of our Boomerang Bay days like The Beach Boys!!

Oh, King Cobra. I miss it so much. Really wish my kids had a chance to ride it. Ahhhh, well.

Wow, is this true?

I'm working on a story about the 40th anniversary of KI for About.com, and I figure KIC is a great place to source some of the best personal experiences in the park. I'd like some immersive anecdotes from park fans, spanning any time over the past 40 years. I'd love to hear from those who can remember attending the park when it first opened, the heyday of the Paramount years, tales from former employees (that don't violate any secret-keeping contracts) and maybe even someone who rode The Bat. I will be quoting excerpts from each story for a series of time-traveling vignettes that will put the reader right in the park. Funny stories, first visits and first impressions of the park, something amazing that happened, those magical days when everything just falls into place, parking lot picnics, the first time you took your kids... there are so many stories out there about Kings Island. If you have a photo to go along with your story, (I know I've got one somewhere of 4-year-old me hanging out in HB Land with Cindy Brady pigtails...) I'd be open to posting family photos or photos taken of the park from the Eiffel Tower. Anything that really brings the history to life. You can post stories/photos here, or, if you prefer, PM me. Thanks so much for any help you can provide! I really want to show off what the park means to fans.

Ugh, that is so sad. I can't believe that after all that time, they'd try to use that seat! I agree! No way would I get on that thing without the sound of that little seatbelt clicking together!

I grabbed tink out of a Google image search and modified it in Photoshop. She was already in camo when I found her, I just added the word graphics and made her my own.

Is it just me, or does anyone else LOVE to ride barefoot? Somethin about the wind between my toes...

Okay, hold up. Is that a symphony I see on the stage? Let's bring *that* back. I'd like some Bach with my soft pretzel. Or a swing band. Oh, mama.

This was my first thought, too! Yes, I think that the 'smoking' area that once housed the Mirthmobile would be perfect for displays like this. I think that even the most casual visitor to the park would get a kick out of it, not necissarily just the die hard fans. Love the idea of old park layouts, photos and maps that could be put up like the old Paramount posters, with little maintenance required. That waterfall area would be perfect for old ride pieces! I say a car from The Bat!

Haha. This was kind of my thought, too. We go to GWL and my kids are always trying to drag me under those darn beavers that conspire to get my hair wet. Then again, after I get soaked, then it's time to start shoving the kids toward the water buckets. I guess they know that once mom has been ruthlessly sprayed with water, she starts coming after them for revenge! I'll miss the lazy river, but will most likely embrace the water fight that I see in my future. Has anyone ever been on the not-so-lazy river in Aquaventure at Atlantis? Now THAT is an action river.

I've seen cellphones in there before. It is kind of fun to pause there under the net and point out the Catch of the Day!

Wow, really, 25 years? I had no idea. Kind of cool that it coincides with the 40th anniversary celebration, too. The Vortex is such a classic, the first coaster that scared the pants off of me, but I went on it and felt like a hero.