alluna

Really liked CarnEvil, Urgent Scare and Massacre Manor. The rest are a lot of fun...but not scary.

You have an intense fear of large objects? http://phobias.about.com/od/phobiaslist/a/megalophobia.htm Yep, I do. Actually, my coworker, Lisa, was kind enough to update that article after we had a discussion about the phobia on her message board. I was relieved to find out that a lot of people have it and I'm not just some weirdo. (Okay, I probably am, but not for that particular reason. ) It makes various theme park features hard to be around (Epcot ball, FoF), but thankfully some things like Vortex and Eiffel Tower are objects that my brain thinks of as buildings instead of 'monsters'. We're also doing a cruise for the honeymoon, too, and I think I'm going to have to close my eyes every time we get off and get back on the ship. Been looking at photos and videos of people boarding cruise ships to try and get over it a bit!!!

I'm with DeLorean for the Jungle Cruise! We're headed to Disney in 2 weeks and I'm just about to explode looking forward to my Jungle Cruise. I would have said Pirates, but everyone keeps saying that Cedar Fair and dark rides don't mix...maybe it's about time they learned. I also hear that the concept of the Rockin' Roller Coaster is cool, but I haven't rode it due to megalophobia. Like a Flight of Fear except with animated effects happening throughout the ride.

I'm guessing that they ran out of time or didn't get to go through Constalkers or Cemetery Drive? the other reviews are so thorough and then they skip out on those last two. Maybe the went the same night I did and got rained out? The author writes: "Kings Island has many staff members that can be found roaming around the theme park. Unfortunately many won't stop to ask you if you need help unless you ask first." Personally, if I was asked if I needed any help by every Kings Island staff member that walked by me, I would get incredibly annoyed. If you ask ANY scare actor where a haunt is, they'll always point you in the right direction. And I don't mind them coming up to me at all. "This year every haunt has a large skull and cross bones sign near it, but is still difficult to find even with a map." Not sure if this author has been to the Haunt before because they have had skull & crossbones next to them in the past...hmm.. "At the end of the night I had blisters on my feet and was sore from walking so much. These haunts need to be much easier to find." Sounds like a typical day at Kings Island for me. If there aren't blisters on your feet after a day at Kings Island, then you just didn't get enough done that day. I thought this was all a pretty good review until the credibility flew out the window with this last paragraph.

I am so with you on properly hiding the fog machines! (!!!!) The machines under the water tower in Action Zone had the big jugs of fog juice next to them and everything. They also stuck a big scary monster in front of them, so your eyes were drawn to look right at the machines and take you out of the illusion. Also, those ankle things are way scary! At the Bugs Life show in Animal Kingdom, I screamed so loud when those things came out. Nobody expects to have rats race across their legs. I wonder if any park does a full-blown 4D movie experience for Halloween? With all the effects in the chairs for their regular 4D show, but timed for an annual horror flick?

I totally agree with this! Most of them were in character, but some weren't. This really counts when you're right about to go in!

Wish I'd gone through when Grandpa was around. I was expecting more obstacles on that one. I've been on trails before where you've had to climb in and out of all sorts of stuff, duck under things and navigate through mini-mazes. I had gone in expecting this one to be the 'mother of all' KI haunts, but...it was just kind of woodsy.

1. I would instruct the scare actors to do something besides jump out and scream. We need more who silently approach with that blank stare in their eyes and just won't leave you alone. Once I was at a haunted corn maze where the scare actor was somewhere on the other side of the row of corn. I could see an evil eye every now and then and hear him following me back and forth on the other side. Creepy. A maze where people are exclusively sent in one at a time and have to choose their own paths to get through the maze. Meaning it would be a maze...not a run. All points would ultimately lead to the same exit, but there would be some choice involved. A haunted trail like the one up here at SIlver lake. You have to crawl through spiderwebs and a 'mouse hole' made of different sized crates. There is a 'junkyard' area and at one point the trail ends at a school bus. Guests have to get on the bus and walk through to the emergency exit at the back. Trail of Terror was alright, but it couldn't compare to this. Also, interactive mazes. For instance, you have to push a button to open a door. Wouldn't have to be mechanical, it could simply set off a loud buzzer which alerts an actor to open the door from the other side. This kind of voluntary button pushing and waiting for the door to open can build the anticipation. 2. Full-blown Thriller reenactment down International street. More roamers scaring people in line. Turn the televisions on to show horror movie clips (wasn't this done one year?) Random street events where a horde of zombies flood (slowly) down the street, then dissapates. Magic is a GREAT idea and could work for a small witch/sorcerer sketch on the street. I'd also have projectors that gave the hint of ghosts around the park. Namely a shadowy Tower Johnny falling every hour or so. That would probably be offensive to someone, though. Less store bought masks...more makeup. Scream contest on the International stage. Prizes for best screams, werewolf howls, zombie moans and cackles. The more interactive stuff the better. I wish there was a single night for a costume contest, but I can't see how this could be done. Everyone would have to come in early, do a costume party, then exit to change into street clothes for riding/entering haunts. Maybe a huge party one night in Boomerang Bay around the empty wave pool area. Lots of Halloweeny drinks and only non-costumed patrons allowed to enter the rest of the park after the party. 3. I'd do away with those Top 40 music montage stage shows. Must all our stage shows at Kings Island be music montages!?? 'Ghouls Gone Wild' was pretty entertaining, but you could have a much more original and engaging show. If we can get away with the steamy scenes in 'Hot Blooded', then a truncated production of Rocky Horror could be done (music montage!). I would have a sideshow experience, but in the theater. Roamers are cool, too, but it sounds like a liability, and lots of people would sit down and attend a freak show on a main stage. I've seen side show tricks on a main stage happen lots of times and it's always a huge hit on it's own.

Oh, that was you? Man, those are the best scares! There was a single zombie in Cemetery Drive that has his act together in the same way...shuffling silently an unrelenting. We joke around a lot with scare actors and the ones that don't reply are usually the creepiest!

Thanks Kevin! Mind if I add this to the article?

Standbyme, The decor was okay, considering it was a temporary setup for the Halloween season. Spiderwebs abounded on the walls and chandeliers, and there are a couple of statues that you'll recognize as the Roman and Shakespeare(?) statues from Phantom Theater. The worst part was the black sheets that were thrown all over everything...I suppose to make it spookier? I think it would have been better without all the black cloth all over the place. The restaurant is a cool place that would have looked good with just a bit of spooky webbing, in my opinion. Our waitresses were dressed up as dead french maids, which adds to the theme, I think. Some of their ill-fitting tops reminded me of a trip to the Renaissance faire, though. We attended a media preview party for the Haunt, which had a different menu than what is usually provided for the Fright Feast. While our cuisine was pretty good, I couldn't really post an opinion on the Fright Feast food. One thing I did enjoy was eating in the International Restaurant, which I'd never been to before. Love the layout in there. Best part was the window view of the Eiffel Tower covered in fog. I'd like to hear from someone who's tried the feast...namely how they escort you to the Slaughter House after dinner...do they take everyone at once or release guides for each party leaving?

Should have done this over the weekend, but today I finally finished a report on our trip to the haunt: 2009 Halloween Haunt Review We hit every haunt but the Tombstone Terror-tory, because that's when the rain really started to come down on us so we ran all the way to CarnEvil. I would really appreciate a little blurb about Tombstone Terror-tory from someone who got to experience it this year. The formatting on the article is a little wonky -it's on Examiner's end and not mine, so I'm hoping it will clear up soon. Sorry if the spacing makes it difficult to read. I'm going to do a different write-up on Hot Blooded and Ghouls Gone Wild. In my opinion, the Ghouls Gone Wild cast blew Hot Blooded out of the water!! I know they change the cast up, though for both shows, right? The cast I saw at Hot Blooded was fantastic.

I'll be there opening night with my fiancee, sister and brother-in-law doing the RIP tour, and hopefully have a report finished on it before the weekend is out. I'm really excited because we are Halloween fanatics and the Haunt is one of our favorite things to do in the world! There are some haunts that I've never been through, like CarnEvil and Club Blood that I'm curious to see. I might even go back through Tombstone Terror-tory. Might.

Dakota, You are absolutely right in that it's important for people to support the park they love to visit so much. I'm hoping that if someone cuts back on their, say, drink budget, they'll have extra money for games and pay-per-rides... the stuff that's fun to spend on instead of just thirst quenching. When our family goes, it's all about allocating money to where we'll enjoy it most. If we've saved $5.00 on a Coke, then that's a 'free' five bucks to spend on the plate breaking game. Or, more likely, money to spend on those $7+ beers. I believe whole-heartedly that if I ever won big in Vegas, I'd rationalize it into 'free money' spend it all before I left town. Sad...but true. I don't think everyone lives by this mantra, though, and I'm sure there are plenty of people squeaking through the park as ultimate penny pinchers. Kudos to them, because I'll bet there are plenty of folks out there spending enough to make up for it. If not, then I'd bet they'd lower the $3.75 Coke machines to more persuasive rate! (Actually, I wonder if the park is in charge of those Coke machine rates or an independent company...?)

I just realized that I didn't add ponchos to that list. Guess the rain today was a good reminder! Does anyone know how much they are charging for them these days? We've always brought our own, I have no idea what to write as far as how much money you'd save by bringing your own ponchos. As a kid, I remember my mother railing about the cost of 'garbage bags with holes cut out of them'. C'mon, mom, they had hoods!

No one's done KI's RIP tour yet. This is the first year it's been offered. Thanks Gator. I checked the website early this month and thought maybe it was a blurb left over from last year.

I think Snoopy on the flume would work well as a camping theme. There was that one Peanuts cartoon where they were doing a river race. One thing that would be great for theming is to run Peanuts cartoons on the monitors while everyone's waiting...which they'll probably do. I wonder if Reptar will be turned into a Red Baron kind of ride. At any rate, it will be fun to go over there and see what's new.

Wow, I went back to check that I'd really typed in 'PKI'. Sure did. Old habits die hard, I guess. Probably cause I still type in 'pki.com' into the browser to get to the website quickly. Then again, it's still a challenge to call all the rides by their new names. My family is the type to sing the theme from 'Top Gun' while walking through the queue for 'Flight Deck' to make up for the music being removed. ;p (Which we wouldn't do if there were an actual line to stand in and people to annoy). Scooby Doo - I've heard of the Oxford lights and of course know of a friend-of-a-friend who's experienced it (who doesn't?). It seems to be a really strong legend with lots of people claiming to have seen it first-hand. Creepy stuff.

Best haunt, for me was Redbeards Revenge (Does anyone know if Cut Throat Cove will be in the same spot?) because it was my sisters birthday when we went. We told the guy our front (Presumably Redbeard) that it was her birthday. When he opened the door to have us go through, he yelled in there: "We have a birthday girl comin through, mates, give 'em yer best scare!" When all the guys jumped out at us, they screamed 'Happy Birthday, yarrr!'. Sometimes the best haunts are the funny ones. Urgent Scare, in my opinion, was kind of the same thing over and over again. The first minute or so was cool, but then it was predictable that you were going to go around another sheet and see some kind of sorta-scary medical scene. I'd still go through it again, though. The WORST was the train ride/old west town trail (forget the name?). We waited over an hour for the train. Finally got on the train and then it stopped, which was just about the only scary/cool part. But then, lo and behold, nothing could have scared us more on the tracks than... another line! Aaaahhh!! After waiting in that line, we were walked down the WWC boardwalk, passing by some very predictable crates with teenagers behind them. They all shook milk jugs full of rocks at us. Oooh, scary! I will never wait for that one again. I think one of the coolest parts is just walking around the park in the Halloween and adult atmosphere. The rides are creepier at night and you never know what's going to come around the corner. One year, many years ago, my sister got cornered in the ATM booth at the front of the park by a zealous ghoul. It was fabulous because that ATM is lit up inside and she had a whole crowd of people outside laughing at her. Priceless. Has anyone done the RIP tour? It's pretty expensive, so I'm wondering if it's worth it: http://visitkingsisland.com/visit/visit_vip.cfm

Gotta be Adventure Express. It's tradition to ride it first when we get in the park, and the line is so short...it's hard to refuse a quick jump on the train.

Growing up, my mom was such a penny pincher that once we even had a little birthday party for my little sister in the parking lot. Still have the photo of her in our parking space with the big Kings Island marquee sign right behind her and a cake on her lap. Interpreter, I wasn't trying to argue. Just simply explain why I left those things out of the article for first-time Kings Island visitors. People new to the area or to saving cash at KI in general just aren't very likely to actually leave the property for a lunch. Maybe one day I'll put together a more hardcore list of savings and include those suggestions. Erosarrow05, I can relate to the kid toting. I'd rather eat in the lot than leave the lot completely. It's been going on for so long that it would be a shame if KI ever tried to police it! Diamondback FOF, Sometimes we even find ourselves in Festhaus in front of a $45.00 pizza meal looking at each other like "What just happened here?" But we're so worn out and hungry that it's hard to care! Potato Works gets me every time, too. Every. Time. darn those sweet, salty potatoes!

I wonder if Planet Snoopy will be as popular as NU? It's gotten that Best award in the past, and I think that had to do with the theme. Kids can readily identify Spongebob and Dora the Explorer, but I foresee lots of parents explaining who 'Linus' is while in line next year.... I had to make sure my own kids knew who the Peanuts were by attacking them with my own collection of holiday classics and comic strip books. Not sure that all of today's kids know that much about Snoopy outside of MetLife commercials. Does this theme connect with kids well at Cedar Point? It must be if they are doing it down here, yeah, but I wonder if it will be as big a hit when it is coming in to replace heavy hitters like Scooby Doo. I loves me some Snoopy, but Scooby Doo is a formidable opponent.

Hello, Rain here, and I'm doing some research for a story on the ghostly happenings at Kings Island. I've been going to the park since I was a kid, and have not experienced anything myself besides my own overactive imagination. I do believe in ghosts, though, so I'm really eager to hear all about any possibly paranormal happenings at the park! I've read the other thread, Is Kings Island Haunted?, but that thread is going on 50 pages and, in my opinion, needs to get truncated. There are so many stories there, but they are congested with side arguments and religious debates. It's difficult to sift through the mess over there. In this thread, I'd like to just have stories and experiences posted that you would like to share publicly. Again, I'm not asking for your opinions on whether or not ghosts exist or whether or not Kings Island is haunted. Here I'd just like to purely collect happenings as well as information on the burial ground, cemetery, park deaths and 'haunted' areas. Hopefully with a bunch of 'takes' on the events, we can sort out which haunts have the consensus among many workers/guests, and which ones are singular events. I have contacted some of you via private message who have posted on the previously mentioned thread because you had some great stories, or inside information on the park due to staff positions. I really want to encourage staff to share, but only if it doesn't violate a contract you've signed with the company. Anonymity can be maintained by contacting me with stories via private message. Thanks so much for your contributions. Any quoted writing used in publishing will be cited with your full name at your request. Otherwise they will be anonymous.

Hello, There is a good rule of thumb on the internet: "Remember the human". Sorry if some of you didn't like the article, but I was simply sharing some of my personal tips for saving at Kings Island for first time visitors. If you're a veteran who knows all the tricks for pinching pennies in Mason, then this article was not tailored for you. Cedar Pointer, I have been going to Kings Island since I was a kid. I mention keeping items in a locker because this is a good option for people with stinky parking spaces. Also, There is free water in cups, yeah, but carrying a bottle around is a lot easier when you're juggling three kids, a stroller or whatever. Cups have a wonderful way of spilling, and usually all over me. I don't mention Wendy's or Taco Bell as meal options because most people aren't going to leave the park for dinner after paying full price to get in there. Season pass holders might be a little more likely to go this route. Please try to be more polite, and keep in mind that there is a person behind what you're reading. MarketingExpress, bringing our own glowsticks for the kids has saved me at least $15.00 each time those carts roll out. And that's buying the cheap stuff. Sorry this tip didn't help you out. I love the dialogue here about saving cash at Kings Island. If you guys have any more ideas to include in the article, I'd love to hear them! Thanks for reading!