jcgoble3

^ That is awesome! I love it! We need that ride immediately!

From what I can tell, all rows are the same in terms of leg room. Have you tried turning your legs to the side instead of straight forward? Some of the taller among us (e.g. malem) cannot fit at all without doing that. It seems to work for them. (Though I, at 5'6" with disproportionately short legs, can sit normally, so I can't speak from personal experience regarding turning the legs to the side.)

If you ask me, they look more like Secret Service agents than park executives.

Eh, I would. I'll happily take $25 if all I have to do for it is be bored out of my mind for a couple minutes. Might help me pay down my credit card a little quicker.

Which leads to the point: we want it to last for a long time. You seem to be saying that we should just ignore everything they do and simply enjoy the park. The problem is that given the way the park is currently operated, and the manner in which it is currently financed, there is a very high likelihood that it will not last beyond this season. We are pointing out what they're doing wrong, because we want them to correct these issues, so that the park can survive and thrive and so that we can enjoy it for many years to come. I truly do not think that ANYBODY here wants the park to fail. On the contrary, an open Kentucky Kingdom not only provides additional competition for Kings Island, which would lead to more and better improvements at KI, but it also provides a second major park close enough to Southwest Ohio that we can reasonably visit for the entire operating day as a day trip from Cincy or Dayton (CP and HW can theoretically be done as day trips, but only by either lengthening the day and risking potential drowsy driving, or by arriving late and/or leaving early). And I think that proximity to so many users here is part of why this site sees so much discussion and analysis of everything they do that isn't found on other sites: because we (by which I mean the overall KIC user base) have much more direct interest in the outcome. No other coaster site out there has such a large proportion of users within such a short distance of KK; thus they don't pay nearly as much attention to KK in the first place (seeing it more as a quick stop on a roller coaster vacation than as a place to visit frequently like a second home park), leading to not seeing the many issues that it has underneath the surface. I think if there was a Holiday World fansite similar to KIC, they too would be discussing KK the same way we are, being that HW is even closer to KK than KI is. As no such site exists, it falls to us to point out the problems.

Uh... jcgoble3, backing slowly away from the thread

A few friends of mine on Facebook were having the same problems. I haven't heard anything from them since yesterday, though. One of them posts here on occasion, so he might chime in.

Some think it's the scariest ride at the park. Others think it's less thrilling than watching grass grow. There does not seem to be much of a middle ground, if any, in those opinions. Me? I fall into the latter category. If I'm going to pay for an upcharge ride, I'd much rather spend my money 500 feet due north.

Park rules require all guests to wear a shirt, unless in Soak City. That the ride ops did not attempt to enforce this may speak to their incompetence, or maybe they just feel that the potential argument and/or fight with a tough-looking shirtless guy is above their pay grade (i.e. "I don't get paid enough for this crap"). See also another thread in this section regarding rule enforcement or lack thereof, which has generated some arguments...

Not sure what the exact price is for the upgrade, but I know it must be purchased at the tolls when you first enter the parking lot, not at the guardhouse next to the preferred lot.

Can't speak for Soak City, but The Beach Waterpark's water was super-cold last Sunday (though one could get used to it really fast). Given how close the two parks are, I'd imagine that the water temperatures would be similar.

Going off-topic here, I've always wondered what happens if a guest loses a shoe on a ride. Since shoes are required in the park, how is that enforced? What if the guest does not have the money to purchase an overpriced pair of flip-flops from a gift shop? Would they be ejected from the park?

Welcome! Upon boarding the ride, you will sit down and slip your shoulders between and behind the vest, then buckle the two vest pieces together. The lap bar will be handled by the ride ops; they will check your vest, push the lap bar down, then press a button on the lap bar's "arm" to lock the vest and lap bar in place. (Note that it's one button per two seats, so the button they push might be on the seat next to you, not on yours.) Once that button is pressed, your lap bar will no longer move in either direction, while the vest can be pulled tighter but not loosened (via straps under your arms). How much your body moves can vary; as a smaller person (5'6", 170-180 pounds), I feel like I have plenty of room to move, but without having so much that I feel like I'm going to fall out. Tighter restraints, of course, can reduce the amount of room, so if you'd rather have less room (and thus feel more secure), try asking the ride op to push the lap bar down an extra click or two (but make sure to ask before the lock button is pushed, after which it can't be tightened any further). You can also tighten the vest further (after being locked) by pushing back on the lower outside portion on each side. I find that both the restraints and the seats are very comfortable. However, some say that sitting in them reminds them of being at the dentist's office, and thus hate the ride. You COULD hold on to the harness, but it doesn't really have a handhold and thus can be a bit difficult to hold on to. As an alternative, handgrips are provided in front of you on both sides. It's possible, though not necessarily comfortable, to hold hands with the person next to you (I haven't tried it). Of note, some of us learned during a backstage tour at a KIC event a couple years ago that Firehawk's frequent downtime is a result of it having more safety sensors than any other ride in the park (and thus more chances for an error in the system causing the ride to stop). IIRC, we were told that Firehawk has four safety sensors per seat, just for the restraints. That might help put your mind at ease a bit.

Note that the original poster has not logged back in since posting this thread. I wonder why?

The vests were super hot during the summer though That's cause for a redesign, not complete elimination.

Great report! Sounds like a kind of random day. I love that kind of day. One note, though: Six Flags does not have the Marvel license. It has the DC license (Batman is a DC character, not Marvel). The Marvel license for theme parks currently belongs to Universal, possibly only east of the Mississippi or within some other specific region or whatnot (I'm not sure anyone knows exactly what the contract says other than the big shots at Universal and Disney).

...and another piece of theming is lost.

I wish I lived close enough to be able to save money that way. Unfortunately, the cost of gas for a round trip to KI is approximately equal to a fast-food meal here in Xenia.

...or out in the park while posting on the forums.

NO! I still haven't been able to get back down there to finish my day at Wet 'n' Wild! (For those who are newer, in 2012 I did a major vacation to Orlando, hitting all of the major theme parks and waterparks. But the day I tried to do Wet 'n' Wild was the day that Tropical Storm Isaac moved through, and the resulting heavy rain kept so many people away that they closed the park after just one hour due to insufficient attendance, and I didn't get a chance to go back.)

Yes! I "discovered" those for the first time earlier this month. It's a fun ride. I've ridden them a few times now.

Back row, outside seat. And try it at night. Got it.

After all these years, I give up. Is "night row" simply a reference to Nitro, or does it refer to a specific row on that coaster? And if the latter, which row? That way, if I ever get to NJFTP, I know to try that row.

Wait, what?

I believe someone said on here once that the V-seated trains like Diamondback produced lower capacity. That fits because the operators have a longer distance to cover while checking restraints. The big year-round parks like SeaWorld need big capacity, so it makes sense that they would go with the higher capacity model.