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This is the product being used, which according to the website, does indeed support NFC tickets/wristbands. https://www.alvaradomfg.com/products/ultraq-pedestal/

This would be a change from what was originally communicated when 2024 passes went on sale in August. Originally, it was made clear that All Park Passport was to include free parking in 2024, even at parks where parking isn't included with a standard gold pass.

In the fine print, they note that gold with all parks passport is valid for parking at all parks, including at Canada's Wonderland and Knott's Berry Farm. All park passport is also good for Early Entry at Cedar Point. If you go in to purchase the pass at CW, parking is no longer an add-on choice after you select all parks passport.

While Chris has known Don for years and has given critical feedback as communications responsibilities changed, he wasn't involved with Don's departure from KI. He learned about it around the same time as everyone else did. It's not helpful to speculate on the circumstances of Don's departure; that's up to him to discuss. Individuals are of course responsible for what they share, be it here or on any other platform. It's always prudent to keep criticism respectful, avoiding personal attacks when possible, regardless of how much you like or dislike a particular company or person. It's nice to see that some feedback to recent communications from KI has already been adopted.

Liability for inherent risks (whiplash from bumper cars, injury from another guest's behavior, slipping on a pool deck, medical issue aggravated by the normal forces of a ride) is generally on the participant, but the terms now make that abundantly clear. If another guest's phone hits you in the face, the park is clarifying that they're not the liable party. Excluding liability for negligence is more interesting; terms like this are often seen with adventure/sporting activities such as white water rafting or ziplining.

The legal terms & conditions for 2024 passes have been posted to the park websites: https://www.visitkingsisland.com/legal/season-pass-terms Interesting terms: Parking at all parks is included with gold passes upgraded with all park passport, even at Canada's Wonderland and Knott's Prestige also exists at Canada's Wonderland, Kings Dominion and Knott's An arbitration clause applies to any disputes or claims An explicit assumption of liability for death/injury for risks inherent to attractions at the parks and for negligence on the part of Cedar Fair staff

The full text of the lawsuit filing: https://www.scribd.com/document/658711741/Hawes-Case#

Don will certainly be missed at Kings Island. The richness of details and encyclopedic knowledge of everything KI he brought to his role was of course second to none. Wherever he lands next is going to be lucky. Too bad he didn't get the big send-off he deserved. Hopefully Coasterstock continues for many years to come, but there will be some pretty big shoes to fill. As most people here know, the connection Don built with the KI community was extraordinary; he made it a point to genuinely get to know as many fans as he could. The countless hours of preparation plus very early mornings and very late nights never went unnoticed, even when the end of the event consisted of 20 people sheltering from torrential rains under the main gate after midnight. There's a reason it has sold out faster every single year. His legacy at Kings Island will be a tough act to follow.

I reloaded the page a number of times before 10:00 and didn't have any issue seeing the button right at 10:00. Others, including someone I was on the phone with at the time, did. None of us work on web development at Cedar Fair, so we can only speculate as to what might have happened. The situation you describe is certainly possible, and I can't rule it out, but I think it's less likely than a load balancing issue (in the specific case of the Coasterstock 2022 ticket sale) based on what I personally experienced. A high traffic website like Kings Island's has many web and database servers in multiple locations, and different visitors to the site are directed to different ones so that no single server is overwhelmed. The way Cedar Fair's AWS load balancer is currently configured, a cookie is used to map a browser session to a single web server, so that you don't bounce between servers while using the site. Clearing your cookies or opening a new browser would reset this cookie, allowing you to bounce to a different server. When Coasterstock tickets went on sale right at 10:00, there was a visual glitch on the page (see my screenshot on the last page) that was fixed within a few minutes. During this time, some of the web servers may have been stuck on a bad revision of the page pending changes propagating to all the servers. Opening a new browser would have likely taken you to a different web server, which hopefully would not be stuck on a bad version of the page. Depending on how database replication is set up, it can take several minutes for changes to a website to reach all servers. Whatever the cause, it's unfortunate that a website glitch prevented some people who showed up on time from buying tickets.

Here's the full report referenced in the article. Some images in the report are disturbing. https://www.scribd.com/document/559810629/2022-02-18-Cedar-Point-Memo-Report-Attachments-Top-Thrill-Dragster

I got my tickets right at 10:00, but several people weren't seeing the button at all until tickets had already sold out. Switching to another browser worked for some people, so it might have been a cache issue or a problem with the website's CDN. Unfortunately, some people missed out due to the glitch. Here's what I saw when I reloaded the page exactly at 10:00:

Aside from incorporating the classic font, how would you improve the 50th celebration logo? Personally, I like the simple design with the tower and "50", but the gradient background in the numbers and the starry/snowflake background in the tower seem too busy to me. It's possible that this is just a rendering issue that will be fixed in a final version, especially in contexts where detail doesn't print well. Usually, when a logo is commissioned, there are several different versions optimized for print, web, limited color palettes, large/small renderings, etc. In any case, we're not going to see the .jpeg file from the KI Blog printed on a t-shirt.

Cedar Point also used the Cedar Fair corporate typeface for their anniversary logo, but they did a good job celebrating the past and present of Cedar Point. I'm glad the distinctive Kings Island typeface still gets used on some merchandise and promotions. I'm very happy that the park will be looking its best next season; painting seven rides is no small undertaking. I'd personally love to see extra merchandise celebrating vintage rides and logos to celebrate 50 years.

The filing seems to allege that the normal operation of the ride caused the injury. Kings Island rates Adventure Express a 5 on its 1-5 ride rating scale, and signage at each ride warns of the inherent risks in riding aggressive thrill attractions, especially for those with preexisting conditions. It's tragic that this guest suffered a stroke, but the claim that the park didn't warn of the inherent aggressiveness of the ride doesn't make much sense to a layperson familiar with the park.

The wing portion at Island Smokehouse has increased to six wings.

Power washing the tower is continuing, and it looks like site preparations for paint work have begun.

I'm not surprised to see good renewal deals this year. After renewing everyone's passes and add-ons for free for 2021, they need all the paid pass sales they can get this fall. Cedar Fair passes still aren't as cheap as Six Flags, where season passes good for admission and parking at all parks have been selling for $50-$60 all summer. Their own 2022 Flash Sale is likely to be even better. Visiting a few of their parks this year has made me thankful for Cedar Fair's approach to pricing and operations. Revenue growth these days is coming from add-ons and in-park sales, which are much more impactful than an extra $10-$20 on the base season pass price, especially with the increased volume the deals bring in. I wouldn't be surprised to see more premium upgrade options in the future; one thing Six Flags has been very successful with is their tiered membership offering.

If you are considering Fast Lane Plus on a Saturday, be aware that it's been selling out in advance (and thus not available to purchase at the park) on some busy days.

According to the USDA, chicken wing prices are up more than 30% in the past year. The Island Smokehouse smoked chicken wings are one of my favorite foods in the park, so I'll often get it despite the small portion size. (It was 5 wing sections as of 2019, now indeed down to 4). It just means I'm more likely to spring for a snack later in the day.

I last rode on the 24th. I was assigned to Row 9 (unsure which train), and it was one of the rougher rides I've had on The Beast, especially between the first drop and the brake shed. Not as bad as (for example) The Boss, but out of character here. It was riding well all over the train at Coasterstock (Jul 9-10). Hopefully whatever issues it's having are resolved soon.

At Cedar Point, the expanded calendar is keeping resorts open Thursday night through Sunday night, up from just Friday and Saturday nights in 2019. At the prices they're able to command for Hotel Breakers (well over $500 for a standard room with 2 queen beds Friday/Saturday), this will not be an insignificant amount of revenue. As an aside, it looks like Cedar Point gold passes are slated to cost $109 this fall, based on the HalloWeekends Hotel Breakers room/ticket combo prices.

^ Kings Island typically runs all trains on their coasters, regardless of how busy the park is. Other parks are different; Kennywood for instance typically only runs both trains on Phantom when the park is exceptionally busy. I don't what the reasoning is; perhaps a member of the rides team could weigh in. It may have to do with simplifying ride operations since maintenance is needed to transfer trains at Kings Island. It's also a better guest experience to have minimal waits for rides on days when the park is not crowded.

^ I'd recommend filling out the online comment form on KI's website if you notice something like that. Those can easily be forwarded to the right department to get an issue fixed. Yes, Spotify and other companies have "all in one" packages that include keeping track of royalties. At a place as big as Kings Island, music is a lot more complex than plugging in a Spotify playlist. They've got live shows, custom music composed for the park, music used in soundtracks for videos/effects, FunTV, and a variety of technical systems.

There was plenty of classic rock on the playlist this past weekend. The pop playlist used in most areas of the park is typically a wide variety so that most park guests will hopefully hear some songs they like. The current issue is that at least some songs are repeating more often than they should be. What works for one park might not always be the best fit for another park. Carowinds' playlist is heavier on country music, for instance.

Did you send a message to the park alerting them to this? Typically, they play radio edits with any explicit words removed or replaced. The music in Brewhouse usually isn't loud enough for me to even pay attention to what's playing. I did notice songs in a tighter rotation than usual this past weekend, especially on I-Street. If the park or one of its audio vendors is making changes, it's possible there are issues that they are working to resolve. Music at a large venue like Kings Island is complex, legally and technically speaking.