KIfan1980

Thanks for sharing a great day at the park - loved most of the pictures Where was that dress code thread?

Bad week, a kid died after an accident at Knoebels (wave pool drowning). I'll look for a link when I'm off the mobile. Truly sad when what should be a fun day at the park turns tragic.

Go take a look at the "The Beast is Rough" thread - what that shows is that one constant among park/coaster enthusiasts is disagreement on what is good/bad/ugly. Sure, there are some that are more universally loved or hated, but I don't think I've ever heard a unanimous opinion. Also recognize that your opinion may be based upon a past memory and is likely to change over the years. For example - I'd gladly ride Woodstock Express over Adventure Express and I prefer to ride Vortex over Flight of Fear. Many on this board would disagree - that's life. And by the way, I like Mantis as well

I'm sure this was caused by the increased stress on the chain as the lift hill continued sinking

Thanks for sharing your PTR - BGT is a wonderful and unique park with an incredible mix of rides and animals. The atmosphere (food, music, theme, landscaping) is also excellent, and as you note it provides a serious opportunity for inversions (I went well over 50 in my day there ) Looking forward to a future trip where I can try out some of the new items and other restaurants - Flyers on Gwazi sounds like a big upgrade and Cheetah Hunt looks like a lot of fun.

Thanks for posting Bret - I love the view of Fireworks over the castle. I'm not big on fighting the crowds, but will for this!

That's kind of interesting like maybe it was a day for families to be at the park which left the smaller/family rides with longer lines and the big coasters/thrill rides less crowded.

Sorry you didn't seem to have a good day, but I have to disagree on the fireworks. I thought it was a very nice show.

I was standing outside the peach basket game as the Fireworks began and WindSeeker started to rise - I told my wife, "I wish I was on that cycle - great view of the Fireworks and I bet they can see several other shows also!" Thanks for sharing how right I was. Sounds incredible.

Stopped by for the fireworks tonight with my boys (Great show by the way). The park was very crowded - the line for the carrousel was overflowing the queues.

... and im not sure when the acre estimate was but probably before GWL. Kings Island currently owns about 650 acres - the main parcel that the park sits on is about 620 acres, although there is some sort of Easement for 96 acres. Great Wolf Lodge sits on about 42 acres. Lot's of fun information about the park property can be found on the Warren County Ohio Auditors Site, including: Kings Island pays more than $1.1 Million in Property Tax to Warren County Under the Memo's tab, there is a whole bunch of recent stuff related to WindSeeker and the following note: "SEE ALSO RTG 16C-2-3 FOR 'WAVE POOL'. " Just info for those that think work in Boomerang Bay could be coming for 2012

Would love to but I'll be in Virginia that day (just like I was in California last year). I'm officially moving my vacation to June next year so I can participate in the 2012 version!

There are many things that would be a good fit for Kings Island in my opinion. I'm sure that there are many options discussed within KI and with Cedar Fair Leadership. There may also be many items shown on a multi year masterplan for the park, but that doesn't mean any of them will be announced in August (if anything is). A couple of thoughts: In reality, there are only a couple of major areas of the park that haven't had significant work done in the last few years: Action Zone and Boomerang Bay If there was going to be a major coaster next year, there would be some signs of it already It's unlikely that Action Zone will get attention until the future of SoB is determined I'd personally love to see further maintenance/improvement of the existing theme/experience - carrousel organ, tower gardens, festhaus - along with a couple of retro flats (Antique Cars, Tea Cups) or maybe even a Kings Island history exhibit, but that's just me. Not saying I'd turn down a shiny new coaster, or be disappointed with an expansion of Boomerang Bay though.

Thanks for sharing the report and the pictures. Some of my favorite times at the park are just like this - heading over to the park for a few hours with one or both of my boys for some father/son time. Although sometimes that means just watching them ride (my five year old thinks it is cool that he can ride Woodstock Express alone now so sometimes I'm directed to just wait at the exit for him), it always puts a smile on my face to see them happy!

I feel bad for the people working in keyhole - it can't be fun. I hope their management hears what is being said and recognizes that a change is needed. As for the fact that the company that manages keyhole is not Kings Island - it doesn't really matter. They are representing Kings Island in the eyes of the guest - they wear KI nametags and they have an official location in the park. Ask 99/100 people and they would assume they are KI employees (my opinion) - their actions represent the park and I guarantee that the park has the ability to force a change in their actions if the park wanted to. Really, most of the time I just don't want a picture taken. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't and I should be able to make that choice - "no thanks, not today" should be enough. The problem isn't the offer to have a picture taken, it is the harassment and intimidating approach that the keyhole management is obviously training and requiring.

Sorry you didn't seem to enjoy your day at KI and the Dinosaur exhibits. One request, to make reading your posts easier, can you please not capitalize the first letter of every word.

If one did, I the potholes would be fixed and it would be repaved

I didn't know they ever opened the North tolls anymore.

Are you suggesting that they pull the staffing for it only when it becomes full? I'm doubtful based upon personal experience. Like anything else at the park, this is a business choice - I don't know what time shifts exchange during a day, but I'm pretty sure that Admissions dept staffs less people at tolls, nobody at Gold Pass lot, less people at the gate, etc... for the afternoon/evening shift. Can this be frustrating for a Gold Pass holder who doesn't get the "perk" late in the day - sure. Can you go and share your frustration with Guest Relations - sure. But, can you really fault the park for this kind of decision - if you ran KI would you do it differently? Of course, I'm left wondering if they still staff a person at the entrance to the preferred parking lot?

Sorry for the double post, but the below copied from the FAQ's explains the $40 fee. It is different than last year - but when you read the rationale, it does make a certain amount of sense. ----------------- Why is there a $40 upfront registration fee this year? In prior years there was a large number of people who completed the complimentary registration but did not fundraise. Some parks have to limit the number of participants that can take part in the event. By instituting the $40 registration fee this year, Give Kids The World will be able to better track the number of active participants and allow space for those passionate about theme parks and Give Kids The World! Am I still able to raise the $40 registration fee? While the registration fee is required upfront, you may still raise the $40 prior to signing up—try getting a friend or family member to sponsor your initial registration.

You just can't seem to win this one can you gator? I can't. Last year it was on July 29th and I was on vacation then too. I just looked at my 2010 calendar and I was at Schlitterbahn that day. I guess I just need to stop planning July vacations! Last year I was at KBF the day of this event. This year I'll be in Williamsburg. Like you Gator - I need to adjust the vacation timing for 2012.

And just for the record, (and as reported in the Mason edition of the Pulse Journal police blotter section), there was also a report of a theft of belongings while riding and an Indianapolis resident was arrested for breaking into multiple cars in the parking lot last week. Who would drive over from Indy to break into cars at KI - that just makes very little sense to me.

This is now the second instance of someone I know from KIC having stuff stolen at BB this spring. Some people are just pathetic in my opinion but it must be getting more common unfortunately.

I don't know - I think the picture is a dead ringer for the guy on the far left. To comment - as a parent of younger childen, this issue obviously concerns me. While I will say that I've seen quite a lot of KI security folks out in the park this year, they can't be everywhere and parents do have to take responsibilities for there kids. But, there also is a balance - for example, when my wife takes the boys to KI, they have to go to the bathroom by themselves. Hopefully this remains a one off item and the guy is caught. Maybe it's just me, but I wish they had up to date season pass photos of everyone to compare the sketch to.

In general park has seemed a little more crowded to me, but I haven't noticed it with wait times. Tues - DB had SRL closed every time I looked and a fairly short wait (20 min). Vortex has seemed more busy - even with WS not open yet.