jcgoble3

^ Well, if you want to see every show, it's going to take multiple visits. There ain't no way to do them all in one day. QuickEdit: Do you like blue ice cream? If so, then Chef Nate would like to introduce you to his latest creation: Blue Hot Chocolate! No, really:

And work out for a few weeks beforehand. You'll thank yourself when you're climbing the hill from Voyage to the front gate at the end of a long day. (Okay, I'm kidding, but seriously, be prepared for the hills.)

I honestly don't think Firehawk's lift can be any louder than it already is. BRING ON THE TUNNEL!

Just say that it's from the park's Snapchat. Normally you're supposed to provide a link back to the source, but that's impossible with Snapchat, so saying where it's from is all you can do.

It's been 10 minutes now...

Don't have one, don't want one. I simply don't get all the fuss over ugly sweaters at Christmastime. If it's ugly, I either throw it away or donate it to a homeless shelter or some other charity. More commonly, I just don't buy it in the first place. Sorry to be a party pooper.

I will absolutely make that claim. Holiday World is IMHO simply superior to both of those parks across the board. Don't let the low number of coasters fool you; quality is more important than quantity, and they have a LOT of quality in their coasters. When I say that Legend is my least favorite coaster there, that's very much relative, since it still beats the majority of the other coasters I've ridden elsewhere. The flat rides are mostly better than those at KI as well. Customer service at HW trounces the same at KI in all respects, especially in food service. Speaking of food service, Plymouth Rock Cafe blows away anything KI or CP has to offer; how about a full Thanksgiving meal in the middle of summer for a very reasonable price? And that brings me to another point: they have much more reasonable prices on food than KI or CP, so you won't be left wishing your Cedar Fair dining plan could absorb the cost. And did I mention free unlimited soft drinks, free parking, and free sunscreen? Yeah, I think I've made my point. In 2013 I actually bought a season pass to HW and made three trips down there (four-hour drive each way), staying for two to three days each time. Well worth my money, even though I had to cut back on KI visits that years to afford it.

For Holiday World, you can tent camp next door at Lake Rudolph for $40 to $45 per night, depending on the day of the week and how early or late in the season it is. They typically offer 10% off throughout the season with proof of membership in a coaster club eligible for HoliWood Nights. (Do be aware that Lake Rudolph sometimes enforces two-day minimum stays.) Alternatively, if you're willing to drive a little bit, there's a state park nearby where you can pitch a tent at a fraction of that price.

So this is my ballot that I'm about to send in: 1, Voyage-Holiday World-USAIN 2, Mystic Timbers-Kings Island-USAOH 3, Raven-Holiday World-USAIN 4, Thunder Run-Kentucky Kingdom-USAKY 5, Legend-Holiday World-USAIN 6, American Eagle (Blue)-SF Great America-USAIL 7, Great American Scream Machine-SF Over Georgia-USAGA 8, Viper-SF Great America-USAIL 0, Goliath-SF Great America-USAIL 9, Blue Streak-Cedar Point-USAOH 10, Tornado-Strickers Grove-USAOH 11, Sea Dragon-Colombus Zoo-USAOH 12, Woodstock Express-Kings Island-USAOH 13, Teddy Bear-Strickers Grove-USAOH 20, Beast-Kings Island-USAOH 50, Racer (Blue)-Kings Island-USAOH 51, Racer (Red)-Kings Island-USAOH 666, Georgia Cyclone-SF Over Georgia-USAGA Yep, the Devil went down to Georgia. (And yes, leaving Goliath present but at 0 is my protest against RMCs being considered wooden.)

Yes, that's been discussed.

Certain seasonal jobs, such as those at Kings Island, are exempt from federal overtime laws: https://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs18.htm

^ I love the backstory tying in several different rides!

No, it starts with management creating an environment where the front-line workers feel valued ($10/hour this year was a step in the right direction in that regard) and actually providing sufficient staff to move people through in a reasonable amount of time (they seem to expect most food locations to operate with a single cashier, which creates massive traffic jams at the register and causes food to get cold while waiting to pay).

The place that needs a major quality improvement is customer service, not the food itself. The food, to me, is at least of the quality one would typically expect of an amusement park. Customer service is what's holding things back. Fix that, THEN they can turn their attention to higher quality of food. But higher quality food doesn't mean jack if it takes 40 minutes to get it (as @Gabe stated above).

In previous years, the preview night was only for prior year passholders who renewed during the fall sale. This year was the first time they opened it to all Gold Pass holders. That likely played a major role in the crowd size. EDIT: Ninja'd by Chris!

They are most definitely a thing.

This. I've never actually had a non-functional blaster. I think the people that complain about that just don't know how to aim or are terrible at aiming, which in some cases may come down to not knowing how to hold the blaster properly for the most accurate aim (it's the same concept as holding a handgun, if you've ever taken a gun safety course or concealed carry course, just without the recoil).

Yes. It's kind of a tradition for someone to post something along those lines at the end of each season. See previous years' posts:

3.5 weeks for Mystic Timbers; 5 to 6 months for the rest of the coasters.

I definitely intend to bring a ski mask for riding Mystic Timbers at Winterfest.

What do you mean? Somebody else posted that link back in April when the page it referred to was live. And I'm familiar enough with the KI website to know that at the time it contained what I said. I do see now that they have rejiggered the schedule pages since I last looked, so that specific URL might not be reused in the spring, but my response is still valid.

That link showed ticket sales/pass processing hours back in April and May for days when the park itself was not open. Once park operation went daily, that page was taken down. It will likely be back next spring.

I believe (don't quote me on this though) that ticket windows generally open at the same time as the parking lot.

I found the post, and it does in fact say Saturday morning: https://www.facebook.com/JohnGummWeather/photos/a.113779712006083.14443.113261272057927/1654334804617225/?type=3

I've lost the link, but at least one Cincinnati meteorologist posted a graphic on Facebook saying that some models are showing a chance for some wet snow Saturday morning. So be prepared for the possibility of snow on the ground that morning, and take your time getting to the park. Better to miss ERT than end up in a ditch somewhere (or worse).