KIfan1980

Had to read a McSalsa trip report (after reading so many times how few times you've actually got to visit the park). Thanks for sharing and I'm glad you had a good time. I know it had to be cold and very windy on the Eiffel Tower and I assume they had the elevators running at the reduced speed also which makes the journey very slow. Also, speaking of the elevator, was your elevator ride op an older gentleman named Mike? He often makes the fake farting sound just for fun.

Maybe it was all the Gold Pass members trying to impress their $9.99 friends, but I heard a bunch of nonsense on Sunday. A few of my favorites: - Mother to kid, "no, they switch the names every year - they'll go back to Sponge Bob and Dora next year" - Upon being told by another guest that the Snoopy name change was because licensing had expired, "no, Cedar Point recently sold Kings Island and since Cedar Point owns Nickelodeon, we can't use them anymore and had to switch to Snoopy" - While riding the train, "the scariest part of Diamondback is the tunnels" A dis-honorable mention goes to the parents on Woodstock Express who were telling the ride-ops "it's fine, she'll be okay as soon as it starts moving" as their daughter is crying and screaming "NOOOOOOOOO, I WANT TO GET OUT, LET ME OUT" while unbuckling her seat belt and trying to climb out of the train with mom pulling her back in and trying to cover her mouth.

Polo shirts sure look like they'd be popular - however, I'm willing to bet they'd be priced into non-sellers (see the $85 reference to Reds polo's).

buckeyemaniac - what exactly is the value of you contradicting what was stated in the 5@5. I'd be willing to bet the person answering the questions was providing the best information that he/she had available at the time. They also never said that these rides will all be open in the morning. Next time, I'd recommend that you think about how you could have shared additional information in a helpful manner - for example: For anyone planning to come on Friday, please note that not all the rides listed will be open all day (for example WWC) due to limited staffing. This is because many KI ride ops are students still in school. Sounds a lot better than: "I really hope that's not supposed to be a list of the rides that are going to be open in the morning..." Just trying to be helpful.

Didn't realize that they had mentioned anything about painting Racer recently. I'm glad they answered my question though. Hopefully they'll find the funds and other things necessary to repaint that ride in the future. sorry for the confusion. It was posted here on KIC about the paint, not the 5@5.

It wasn't said that Flight Deck won't receive a fresh coat of paint soon (we can hope for next year) - and the good news in this response was that "You’ll be able to enjoy rides on this coaster for years to come." Since several folks have speculated that it will be taken down, I say look for the positive in the answer! As for Racer, it has been posted previously that Racer will not be re-painted purely for aesthetics sake because the type of paint used on Racer would make that an extremely challenging and costly effort. The answer provided is consistent with that post.

What better way to say "I love you - Happy Mothers Day!"

Glad those that attended had a great time - and thanks for the pics and video Jesse. I was unfortunately out of town for the weekend so couldn't attend. I have been lucky enough in the past to be able to learn a little of the history/details and get an up close look at one of the engines from an engineer that I happened to know - lot's of love and care go into the train.

We have Gold Passes. Only Cedar Fair parks (besides KI) that we will go to this year are Cedar Point and Knotts Berry Farm - and that didn't justify upgrading to Platinum with discounted tickets and multi-attraction city passes available.

Cool video, and I'm glad I watched all 20 minutes of it so I didn't miss anything like the "LOL" about half way through! Also, really liked some of the pictures you got from the Tower and in Planet Snoopy - I'm a big fan of the "Good Grief" sign and think they've done a great job with the re-theme. Thanks for sharing.

Gator - thanks for posting this interesting trip report. Reading your stories of spending quality time at KI with GatorGirl always seems to remind me of the fun I have with my boys as well. I was over in AZ with Tom, Rotag and others when Giga posted on Facebook that she was "in line for DB with brad, keith, shawn, and jesse". We were trying to figure out who she was confusing me with. Thanks for clearing it up.

People at the park do get upset about things that are posted on here from time to time, but you have to look at what you're dealing with. These people put in countless hours, either behind a desk or out in the hot sun, to try to bring everyone the best experience possible. Then in return you get some anonymous kid on a message board ripping everything apart. Sometimes it feels like everyone's a critic. Just to ensure that there is no mistaking the original intent of my statement that Ryan quoted. - I completely understand the frustration that the question caused and have no problem with KI's response in the 5@5 today - In some ways, I'm surprised it took this long for a "wake-up call" response as some prior questions have pushed the limits in my opinion - I also noted that I think there is a difference in what could be said on KIC versus what could be said on the 5@5. I believe this is different because one is more of an official interaction with person/business while the other is an informal interaction with other fans on a fansite - In either case the "think-first" advice stands As for people at the park getting upset about things posted on these forums - this doesn't surprise me. It can't be easy to see your ideas and plans critiqued publicly, let alone by people who may or may not understand the business, and often long before any real details exist. It's a little bit of a Catch-22 for the park - they love to have us at times (we can be good ambassadors for and customers of the park) and hate us at times (we can be overly critical and complain a lot). I can only hope that they also are very happy about some of the things posted here from time to time also. There are many more positive Trip Reports than negative ones, there have been lots of kudos to the park regarding changes (Diamondback last year, Planet Snoopy and Boo Blasters this year), and there are lots of meet-ups scheduled. Just to note, Kings Island is a business - it's goal is to make money. Attracting guests and keeping them happy/spending is how they make money, so yes it is about the guests, but its definitely not the only thing. I'd also note that for many of us fans, Kings Island is a special place that holds great family memories. When we are critical of the park, it often comes from a love of the park and a desire to see the park succeed and be around and as special in another 30+ years, so that we can build further special memories with our kids and/or grand-kids.

Yep, 2+2=4

And then there is, you might be a KI addict if you've counted how many times you've been there since 2000

You win - especially since your little one is only 6 weeks old! In the race for second place, I had my parents take my 6 year old to T-Ball pictures and practice while my wife took the 4 year old to swimming lessons so that I could be at the metal detectors at 8:30am. BTW - did you enjoy "Honey-Do" Sunday?

I asked about this in a PM recently and was given the following three sites by an avid Disney fan. http://www.tourguidemike.com/ - requires a relatively small subscription http://www.wdwinfo.com/ http://allears.net/index.html

I think that this is a good learning opportunity (or reminder) for many (and I'll include myself as well). Communication has become so easy and impersonal in today's world, with texting, tweeting, email, message boards, instant chat, status updates, etc... that it is easy to forget that it should be handled in a respectful and thoughtful fashion. This is especially true when interacting in a professional setting - which any communication with a business should be considered. While it seems clear that the line was crossed with this question, there have been other questions that approached it in my opinion. There are no official rules of etiquette when it comes to electronic communication (is something ok to say on KIC but not on the 5@5? I'd suggest yes), but it is always a good idea to stop and think before you hit send, post, or enter. I hope the original poster of the question reads the response, learns from it, and finds a way to apologize.

Is it possible to insert an image from Facebook on KIC? Whenever I try I get a "that is not a valid extension error" or something like that. Also, enjoyed the PTR - can't believe I didn't see you again beyond the metal detectors, although I did get to ride Drop Tower and hang out with Tom for a little while.

You don't think rolling around inside a bubble that many other hot and sweaty people had previously rolled around in sounds like fun? What's wrong with you.

But pics taken while on Racer are ok?

Got to admit its a little weird (since they are disagreeing), but I agree with both Dave and Todd. - The layout does seem a little unusual and doesn't scream excitement - It's probably because we aren't used to seeing rides from this point of view and can't tell elevation, ride elements, or speed from it Bottom line, there are things I just don't get from looking at this composite (but I'm not supposed to am I). Remember, even when I305 was announced and the ride layout/animations were shown - people didn't like it and thought it looked boring. Haven't heard anyone say that in a Trip Report yet though.

As usual, a good read - where I find myself agreeing several times through your post. Sorry I didn't catch up with you yesterday but am sure I'll see you somewhere this season. On the employee/management topic, a couple of thoughts: - It is great to see how friendly all the employees were yesterday. Kudos to all - Saw some of the park management team several times during the day. Great to see them out and about and meeting/greeting guests - Funny story on Diamondback. Toward the end of ERT a returning ride op was separating with an obviously new guy helping - new ride op says something to the effect of "wow, I've seen some of these people 3 or 4 times already"

Dave - honestly didn't seem any different to me. Last year I was able to ride right at the line, but had room for one more click (which seems to happen through g-forces at the bottom of the first and second hills) - same was true again this year and I rode all three trains on my various rides. Now, if you want to talk Drop Tower - I could barely buckle on that yesterday.

Agree that it was disappointing to see so many rides down for significant times today - I'd at different times planned to ride Invertigo, Flying Ace, Race for you Life CB, and BLSC and they were all down. The good thing about Kings Island, however, is that they have enough rides that even with so much downtime there was plenty of other options - and many many more days to get those rides in.

It was a good day at the park for me - crowded, but not excessively so. Got 6 laps on Diamondback including first public train of the season in row 4. Took the kids later in the afternoon - they thought that Planet Snoopy was cool. Only downside, although didn't stop me from having a good day, was the number of closed rides: Invertigo, Race for your Life CB, Flying Ace, and BLSC were down much to all of the day.