malem

^ Beast was a walk-on during ERT this morning, even after Diamondback's queues filled up.

Comments from staff encouraging guests to run certainly wouldn't help the park if/when someone is injured.

Unless something changes, I'll be there tomorrow. It's the end of summer; people want to get their last water activities in. WWC is close to the train, convenient for those coming from and going to Soak City. How were the other lines? An hour wait on Diamondback indicates decently large crowds.

According to the HoliBlog, Holiday World will be announcing something new for 2014 this September. This might even be the month we learn who will control the park next year. As some will recall, the original 2013 HoliWood Nights brochure contained a teaser about future expansion. The title of the event was "Dig", a play on the movie "Big". Taglines read "Growth, a curious obsession" and "Have you ever head to keep a really big secret?". Whether the plans alluded to by those teasers are still in effect (with new and very different management in place) is anyone's guess.

Great pictures; thanks for posting. I would have been there today, but I got tied up this morning and didn't make it down. Alas, night rides will have to wait for Haunt. I wouldn't make much of an unenthusiastic staff member on a day like today. Staffing was almost certainly a challenge, and not everyone can be super enthusiastic after a long day at school or another job. I honestly expect walk-ons for the KIC event on 9/8. That's opening day for the NFL, the park traditionally has been closed to the public then, and autumn Sundays generally have light crowds. With over 100 participants, though, I'm not sure how many rides we'll actually get to. Anyway, here's to hoping for light crowds on Monday. Soak City's closing day should keep many away from the dry park, and reports from last year indicate short lines.

If you haven't used the bring-a-friend coupon e-mailed to last year's FunPerks members, that would let you get up to 4 people in for $19.99 each. Is this person interested in a 2014 gold pass?

One should NEVER have to ride defensively to avoid being hurt. If one must, the ride is a bad ride by definition. And how are first time riders supposed to know "the method?" I agree. Alas, many rides exist which can give painful rides for some guests if not ridden defensively, so such discussions are common in forums like these. Many fans want to be able to enjoy everything. In the case of Mantis, most discomfort is avoided by simply riding as verbally instructed by the ride operator. Hopefully first time riders are listening. Maverick can be quite painful for some if not ridden defensively, making it a rather bad ride for those people. I certainly hated it following my first ride.

All of the above.. Stand up straight on Mantis with your feet back, and you shouldn't have the guy problem. Hold on and lean with the turns, you shouldn't have any head banging. Shifting weight between each of your legs and the seat can help with the knee problem, especially in the second half of the ride. Whatever you do, make sure you don't get the seat locked too high up.

Also worth noting, the season pass pages on both KI's and CP's site advertise a flat 10% discount at "select" food & merchandise locations for gold/platinum passholders. Hopefully this is true; the usual food combo offers aren't very useful if you drink water or if you use a souvenir cup. This copy appears on other Cedar Fair parks' sites as well, which have historically offered such discounts, so hopefully it isn't an error for the Ohio parks.

Considering the reason for this relocation, they probably wanted to go low-key on the name. And after all the bad publicity surrounding WindSeeker evacuations, they certainly didn't want to introduce it as "WindSeeker". This way, it can be recognized by the public as just another new ride. Hopefully, one that will operate reliably and will complete any evacuations in a timely manner. (Whatever it's called, it offers a rather enjoyable ride - when it's actually operating.)

Worlds of Fun has quietly announced a WindSeeker, and they're calling it SteelHawk. https://www.worldsoffun.com/what-s-new/new-for-2014 Presumably, this is the WindSeeker from Knott's.

You do avoid filling out the form for a new pass (with name, address, e-mail, phone number, etc) by purchasing online, but you pay a $5.99 processing fee. This fee is avoided by creating actual paperwork and using actual employees' time by purchasing at the park.

To provide a relevant example, the after-tax cost of a burrito from Hank's Burrito Shack will go up from $8.08 to $8.10.

One of the touted benefits of multiple payments is to make high season pass prices more desirable, leading to increased revenue from the higher prices. Payments of $20 sounds "easier" than a payment of $180. 9 payments ensures that all the early season pass revenue is in by 2014Q2. Personally, I don't want to use any multi-payment plan. (I don't want companies needlessly remembering my credit card details, and I don't want the validity of my pass tied to Accesso's automatic payment system.)

KI says yes. CP has yet to definitively answer. RCDB isn't an authority on what is and isn't a "coaster". This question has been pondered rather thoroughly in the past: http://www.KICentral.com/forums/index.php?/topic/23549-should-surf-dog-be-considered-a-coaster

What are the benefits you get? Free parking and early entry. And as Terp said, the platinum pass has been the only way to purchase season-long parking at CP in recent seasons. (Before that there were window stickers, which employees up there still have. Putting parking on a pass is much better.) If you mean the benefits you get while staying at a resort while also holding a platinum pass, then what YoungStud said.

I know far less about Haunt than many here.

^ CP locals actually got discounts not available elsewhere in the country. The Sandusky Meijer was still selling 2013 platinum passes for $179, even after the price at the parks increased to $195. Since platinum offers the benefits of staying at a CP resort all season long, it is a premium product. For people like myself who are equidistant to both parks, it's a very good value even at $180. Competition and distance make it a less obvious choice for Cincinnatians. The extra $100 could go a long ways towards a season pass at Dollywood or Holiday World, and KI has many similar offerings to CP's. On the other hand, platinum is a rather poor value in many markets. The other Cedar Fair parks are widely scattered, and platinum costs many visitors more than buying gold at each of their two closest parks. Not allowing (non-platinum) passholders of non-resort parks into other non-resort parks could be a missed revenue opportunity. I agree with you about food, at Cedar Point at least. For guests paying a premium to make multiple visits, the value delivered per food dollar should be higher. If passholders are choosing not to dine on Point, FUN is losing revenue.

According to the PointBuzz thread, the price for platinum passes will be 9 payments of $20 ($180), up from $164 (in 2012, for 2013) and $150 (in 2011, for 2012).

No problem; I hope you enjoy your trip! There are many other threads here about Haunt, which you might want to read for tips and suggestions. (If you haven't already.) You can use the search bar at the top to search for "Haunt".

1. In years past, the "free" day was valid for any (remaining) day of the season, including Haunt. Presumably, this (popular) offer will continue. 2. Fast Lane doesn't apply to haunted attractions, but a separate "Fright Lane" pass allows front-of-the-line access to mazes. If you want to skip the lines for both, you must buy both passes. 3. 2013 souvenir cups can be refilled at discount pricing throughout the 2013 season. 4. Last year, they had a Halloween-themed food cart near Stunt Crew Grill, which is closed during Haunt to make room for Slaughterhouse. 5. Fear Fest was the generic name for Paramount Parks' Halloween events. Cedar Fair elected to keep their own generic name of "Haunt" after the acquisition. Park-specific brands "HalloWeekends", "Knott's Scary Farm", and "Scarowinds" are still used along with the "Haunt" branding.

I'm not sure how much riding will get done on the 8th, so I'm thinking of heading to Kings Island this weekend as well. If I go, it would probably be Friday (hoping for night rides with short waits) or Monday (for Dollar Days).

It sounds like you need to go on a behind-the-scenes Beast tour. You're too late for Pink Days, but you could luck out at the KIC birthday event.

^^ In addition to the modern cemeter(ies), they also flooded several Adena mounds. As for Thunder, it's still lake water trapped in a small (and evidently dirty) area, even when recently pumped in. I can't imagine it being very "fresh" by mid-afternoon.

Never swim at Columbus's "beach" at Alum Creek Reservoir. In addition to what's upstream, you have to worry about what's under it. Not to mention that many use the beach itself as a large off-leash play area for their dogs. I've never ridden that, nor do I plan to. If I'm going to get drenched in Lake Erie water, I'd at least want fresh Lake Erie water!