DaveStroem

To answer your question, it depends on the day. If your there on a busy day as I was at SFGADV &SFGAM when we had our Gold Flash Passes, there were a ton of people using them. I remember on one coaster they loaded an entire train of Flash Passers. We also rode Nitro 4 times passing the same people in line that had not ridden once. If it is a quite day, you will only see a handful of fools that pay extra to save 5 minutes off of their wait. When we were at LaRonde, there was a guy that entered the FP line at the same time we entered the regular line. Because he had to take a different line and wait for an attendant to clear his FP, we were coming back into the station as he was about to board. Personally, I think $50 is about right or is too cheap for this. If I were not a regular and traveled 8 hours to visit, I would gladly plunk down the cash and ride hard during the 7 hours that it is available. I bet you could get 30-50 coaster rides in that time on a busy day when the poor ole park goer could only get in 6-7. For those that feel this is too much, consider this, many of us shell out a similar amount to go to coaster events with ERT. This is like 7 hours of ERT. The big difference is that during the event, your not line cutting in front of other guests. I think this has disaster written all over it.

I haven't gotten any replies to this yet. Please let me know if you have register after I posted the above link. If you registered before hand, any thing left out to the $100 that I am donating to the KIC new registrants will be divide among the rest with the emphasis on those that are under $35.

If you have not registered yet, you still have time to sign up for Coasting for Kids. The event will be Sunday July 24th and will be on Racer. http://www.firstgiving.com/gktw/KI The registration is $40 and you need to also raise $35 in additional funds. For the next 20 people to register I will pledge $5 each in support for your page. Now if I can't get you with the charity angle, look at it in another light. For your entry, you get 8 hours of ERT, Lunch at the International Restaurant, T-Shirt and the satisfaction of knowing your helping a GREAT cause. BTW, ERT is not quite accurate since during an ERT you still have to stand in line, during this event, you get to stay on the train other then rest breaks. Also this is not an endurance test. If you feel that you need a break, take one or two or as many as you want. For those of you that can not make it to the event. Please support those that are participating. Donations don't need to be large, just a couple of dollars here and there adds up to helping a great cause. Instead of buying a soda next time your at KI, take that money and help put a smile on the face of a child with a life threatening illness.

KIFan1980, I think maybe the next time we go to KI we should get some bikini tops to wear around the park.

I feel that it is his parents duty to file a suit on behalf of his daughters. Yea, somethings seem a bit odd, but I don't think it sounds like suicide to me. His nephew put him in the ride, and witnessed the incident. I still feel that the ops are at fault and what they did clearly disregarded the guests safety. BTW, I read that the crew were all 18 or older. They should have known better.

I showed this to my wife. Her comment...ROAD TRIP!!!!

Mine is http://www.firstgivi...ids-WorldsofFun Nancy's is http://www.firstgivi...ids-WorldsofFun KICoasterGirl's is http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/elizabethwetterstroem/CoastingForKids-WorldsofFun Katy's is http://www.firstgivi...ids-WorldsofFun Mine has donations in it, but the girls are still empty. Any amount helps to put a smile on a child's face and memories in the hearts of their parents.

From what I have read, that sign is at the entrance to the ride, a man in a wheel chair would most likely go up the exit and not be able to see that sign. This is assuming that he would have stopped to read it anyways. I know that I never read signs like this once they get over a paragraph long. I too was not impressed with the staff at DL when we went in 2009.

From the footage I saw of the man at a military ceremony, one leg was amputated well above the knee and the other was closer to the hip. It is not surprising that the lap bar would not properly restrain him when he didn't have a lap. I can't imagine how he was allowed to ride unless he was wearing prosthetics and didn't notify the park or operators.

We did this last year and it was a ton of fun. This year we are participating, just not at Kings Island. We will be at Worlds of Fun for 2011 Coasting for Kids. I hope that KI will still count my family and I in the 50 person total. If you haven't checked out who this charity is for, head over to http://www.gktw.com The little girl's name was Amy. Amy had leukemia and one wish - to visit the theme parks in Orlando. To facilitate Amy's wish, the request of a complimentary stay was made to a respected hotelier. As he had done many times before, the hotelier gladly obliged and Amy's wish was that much closer to being realized. Sadly, the remainder of Amy's travel plans took too long to arrange and her wish was never granted; Amy had passed away. Time simply ran out. This unfulfilled wish inspired a man, the hotelier, to make a vow that no child in need would ever be failed again. That man was Henri Landwirth and his desire to ensure that Amy's story would never repeat itself is where the story of Give Kids The World begins. Landwirth enlisted the support of colleagues in the hospitality industry, including our world-famous theme parks, to assist him in bringing these special families to Central Florida within 24 hours if need be. He called the project "Give Kids The World," because that is just what he intended to do - provide memorable, magical, cost-free experiences to children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. As the program expanded and the number of families continued to grow, it was apparent that Give Kids The World would need to create a place that could better serve the special needs of our families. The gates of Give Kids The World Village opened in 1989. Today the Village is a 70-acre resort complete with over 140 Villa accommodations, entertainment attractions, whimsical venues, and fun specifically designed for children with special needs. With the help of many generous individuals, corporations and partnering wish-granting organizations, Give Kids The World has welcomed more than 100,000 families from all 50 states and over 70 countries. If you can't participate, please please help out those that are. This is a great cause that helps families make memories that may just have to last a lifetime.

This year we will be at Worlds of Fun in Kansas City, Mo to ride roller coasters for Give Kids the World Village. Last year we rode Racer at Kings Island 106 times during the event which raised over $30,000. This is Elizabeth and myself in the front row at last years event. Nancy and Katy are right behind us. Link to the Dayton Daily News story about Coasting for Kids. Dave's http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/dave-wetterstroem/CoastingForKids-WorldsofFun Nancy's http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/nancywetterstroem/CoastingForKids-WorldsofFun Elizabeth's http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/elizabethwetterstroem/CoastingForKids-WorldsofFun Katy's http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/katywetterstroem/CoastingForKids-WorldsofFun

Thanks for the PTR. I too love the Columbus Zoo. The new park map looks great too. Are the tubes for the lazy rivers free or charged this year? I know they charged for them the first year and it turned into a big mess. People would steal your tube while you were in the wave pool or worse people would ride them in the wave pool and crash into others.

The child was at the park on a school trip, so you can't place the blame on the family. She also was not alone in the park, just alone in the gondola on the ferris wheel. From the accounts I have read, she was leaning over waving to friends. This is a tragic story and while I agree that this is how regulations get to the point where ride ops think they must staple you in, I don't think that minors should be allowed to ride in a ferris wheel by themselves. I do have an issue making this an across the board ruling.

Wonderland is one of my favorite CF parks. While none of the coasters are exceptional, they are all pretty solid. The atmosphere in the park is very different feeling then any of the state side CF parks we have been to. I look forward to our next CW trip even though that will be in the distant future.

At Cedar Point I have heard it called a "stall" when TTD got stuck on the top hat.

Having meet Jack Morey last year and being his "friend" on facebook, I can tell you for sure that he is hurting as well. I have ridden this wheel and can't see how anyone could fall out of it unless they were leaning out of the gondola or purposely jumped. I have heard reports that she was leaning out waving to friends in another gondola when she fell. I don't think that seatbelts would have helped as she could have removed them. There is a certain indestructibly that we feel when we are younger that unfortunately sometimes results in something tragic like this.

While you can't see what the actual offer is, it says $59.99 value for $29.99. The price that comes up when you purchase tickets online is $26.99.

Thanks Jesse, I always love reading your reports.

While not quite the same, we went to SFGAdv on the Friday after the 4th of July last year and the place was empty. What we were told is that many people take a mini vacation on holidays to capitalize on the extra day off from work. Since they just spent the $$$ on that the following weekend is often quite compared to the rest of the month. Good luck and have fun.

Has it been announced if KI is actually paying for DA or this movie? It wouldn't surprise me one bit if these attractions are not owned by the park and thus the up-charge. With that being said, I think KI or the owners of DA is really blowing a perfect marketing opportunity. If the movie was free and hyped up in the park, I could see a lot more people willing to shell out that extra $5 for the walk though. As is stands now, this whole thing feels like nothing more then a money grab.

Currently have SF, CF and DW. When we are at SeaWorld San Antonio, we may see if we can upgrade our 1 day admission that we get with the ACE coaster convention to a 2 year SW/BG pass.

Terpy, I was on that train. While it was a rollback by the strictest of definitions, it wasn't a rollback in the way that we think of them. We made it to the launch area and had to be rolled back a few times before we could finally take off. Of course this made for great fun in sharing with all of our jealous FB friends. Yes the weather was iffy but it was never more then a drizzle. Most things were walk-ons and re-rides were plentiful including 4-5 on Ka at the end of the evening.

While this is tragic, I find this logic flawed. It is a roller coaster, by their nature, they don't stop just any where at any time. Also, even if they did, stopping a ride that is going 15 mph immediately would also be dangerous to all those riding. Of course facts and logic are often the last things that attorneys care about. If they can convince a judge or jury that what they are spewing is the truth, that is all that matters.

We got our video done and submitted. I sure hope we will get to ride with Bert.

Kennywood is a fun park with a nice mix of history and thrill rides. Thunderbolt was running amazing last year with some of the strongest lats you will ever experience.