homestar92

kingsisland.rocks is available... Just a thought...

And, if you want to maximize the odds of getting to ride TT, spending money inside the park would help... Personally, if they sold a T-Shirt that says "I experienced The Runs at Kentucky Kingdom", I would pay top dollar to own it. Top dollar. Have some hart and make it happen, guys.

A (now ex-) girlfriend dragged me kicking and screaming (quite literally) onto Flight of Fear. When I got off the ride, the next words out of my mouth were "let's ride the red one now!" (Aww, look at younger me, I was one of the people who calls Firehawk "the red one"!). And that's the story of how I fell in love with, and very nearly fell out of love with roller coasters in rapid succession (Firehawk reminds me of the dentist. No thank you!). Then we went to Vortex... And the rest, as they say, is history. For any who may be wondering, there is no ill will between us and she is still a friend and occasional coaster buddy. But I sometimes have to stop and wonder what on Earth I was thinking...

I thought T3 was red because they wanted it to match their financial reports?

I want the park to stick around because I love the two Runs. And because another amusement park within a relatively short drive of my house is definitely something I can appreciate. And I just remembered something. While I was at the park, I had been posting in this thread in real-time regarding some of the issues I was seeing. Knowing my screenname on here (which I do use elsewhere on the internet), one could probably dig up enough information on me to use process of elimination and pick me out from among the passholders at that park. Heck, my profile on here gives my date of birth and gender. That's probably enough right there considering how small their pool of passholders is. Before I left the park I tried to get a dollar soft drink at the funnel cake stand near the flyers. The associates had trouble getting my pass to scan for the discount, and after a while of being unable to get it to work, a manager at that food stand eventually just came over and told me that I could have the drink free of charge. While that was actually an example of good customer service, I am curious about my pass failing to scan at that location. To quote Led Zeppelin, "Ooh, it makes me wonder..." Funny how through their actions, something that was probably an innocuous technical hiccup at the hands of inexperienced staff on opening day now has us paranoid that they have a vendetta. For now, I'll assume technical glitch. We'll see what happens next time I visit. To be completely frank, I will have my cell phone recording video from the time I exit my car to the time I get into the park (or not). Just in case. I remain hopeful that I will have a pleasant customer service experience and any footage I record will be promptly deemed unnecessary and be deleted.

Let's assume, for the sake of argument, that their excuse is true. I don't buy it because I trust Terp considerably more than I trust Hart's cronies, but hear me out. On a busy day, one would think that several people would have payment methods fail to scan. The fact that they are able to pinpoint the specific incident means that none of the other people attending had any trouble, which IMHO probably indicates that they are dealing with a laughably small sample size...

^ Knott's also got an image unlike the others as did CP's Soak City and Knott's Soak City.

^^ there is another bridge which is flat on the side of the building closest to the big bridge. Though that's not exactly in the first location you'd look when trying to enter the building.

Speaking of which, I feel like I should offer some more clear, non-satirical, black-and-white opinions of opening day. This post won't be as long, but for those who are legitimately on the fence about visiting, I hope to be able to shed some light. First, the good. Parking associates at the Exposition Center had clearly had the KK season pass policy communicated properly, as I was waved right in when I showed it. I see potential for abuse here, which I'm sure is part of why the attendance requirement is part of their deal with the park. Despite rain being in the forecast, all of the rides that were up ran the whole day pretty consistently barring a short hiccup with the brakes not wanting to release on Thunder Run and a motor stalling on the Tin Lizzies. Both issues were taken care of quickly. What little lines they had were moving pretty well. Lightning Run was hitting a better interval with one train than it did with two when I visited in September. Ride associates were enthusiastic, welcoming, and efficient. They were every bit on par with what I've seen at KI this year, and that's not a knock on KI crews, it's a compliment to KK crews. Spiels were concise, and limited in scope to safety instructions ONLY. As it should be. The ride ops who were spieling were never the same people as the restraint checkers. Quite a few rides were down, mostly the mid-level rides (Breakdance and Roller Skater being the notable examples). Kiddie rides seemed to be doing pretty well. In person, T3 doesn't look that bad. Fresh paint in an ugly color is still better than faded, chipping paint that at one time looked good. Toward the end of my visit, they brought out the King Louie costumed character and he was interacting enthusiastically with the few people who were there. There was an issue processing my season pass for the $1 soft drinks at the funnel cake stand near the flying scooters, and they decided to err in the customer's favor and just gave me my drink gratis rather than waste a bunch of time trying to get my pass to scan or charging me the full amount. Their carousel has a band organ (which may not be new, but I never noticed it last year) and it's working AND in tune. Of course there's also the bad... Foodservice employees at Swampwater Jack's seemed a bit disgruntled. I had to seek out their attention to be served as mentioned above. Food portions were considerably smaller as explained above. I hope this was just bad training and not a new policy, but considering that the worker who served my food asked a manager whether to give one slice or two and were instructed to give one, I'm not hopeful. Still no wheelchair access to Swampwater Jack's. Also, now that I think about it, I'm not sure there is for the BBQ place near Lightning Run either, but I've still never been in there. most of the new rides were not ready. The ones that were did not impress me. Wizard of Oz 5D is frankly a waste of the motion seats, and the post-processed 3D is among the worst I've ever seen. I realize that the park did not design this attraction, but to choose that particular movie is a questionable decision at best. Associates on the ride were saying that this year is the 75th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz. It's not. The Rio Grande kiddie train ride has been relocated and somehow even more de-themed than last year. Loose article policies changed with no notice. Had I had prior notice, I would have known to bring the glasses strap that I already owned and saved $5. Lightning Run down to one train, and the other is not on the transfer, which indicates to me that either it's gone or its offseason maintenance is not yet complete. No live entertainment. At all. Not even the Sea Lion show. Thunder Run is shuffling around the first turn. It did late last year, too but I had hoped that would be resolved after the offseason. Not a new thing, but the park is incredibly difficult to navigate when the waterpark is closed. Getting to Thunder Run was a chore. Some horses on the carousel were missing their tails, which left a hole in the horse in an...erm... inappropriate location. And finally, landscaping is still really barren. Give me something to look at. The park is just a mess of concrete right now, and that's really boring. I could have overlooked a lot of this stuff, but to still see wheelchair access missing at the park's largest eatery (which has been pointed out here and elsewhere many times and I can't imagine Hart being ignorant to this fact) and to hear of Terpy's experience, and to see so many attractions not ready for opening day, it really is kind of a mess right now. The sad thing is, so much of this is fixable, but I have little confidence that it will be fixed. I really don't think the park is inherently doomed, I just think that Hart is running it in a way that isn't conducive to success. Oh, and Lightning Run's wheels are still squeaking on the track. At first I thought this was due to the paint being fresh, but The Bat stopped doing that a few weeks into the 2014 season, so I'm not sure that's it. It's not something that worries me (even if I don't trust Hart, I trust Chance rides when things aren't in a state of Chaos) but I'm a bit curious as to what would cause that noise.

I really don't understand why Swampwater Jack's hasn't been made accessible. CONSUMERS can purchase an automatic door opener for ~$1500. I'd imagine wholesale (which would really probably be the best way to go considering that there are quite a few buildings on the property) is cheaper per unit. Well within even Hart's annual improvements budget. On the other hand, I'd imagine that the penalties for that sort of ADA violation would be considerably pricier. I also wonder why they do not at very least, leave the doors propped. Most other buildings in the park are left with their doors propped open during business hours. I don't know if this qualifies as a reasonable accommodation under the ADA, but at least it's access of some sort. Why this one notable exception? Did that building lack wheelchair access when SIX ran the park, too? For that matter, was it even a public building at that time? Also, just in case it's necessary: This is not legal advice. The author of this post is not a lawyer in Ohio, Kentucky or any other United State.

And families who had visited the park in its past life may not find it particularly enjoyable even without knowing the behind-the-scenes stuff. In my visits, I have heard many comments along the lines of, "I miss Chang.", "Greezed Lightnin' was better than Lightning Run.", " Why isn't Twisted Twins open?" I think the locals are getting to a point where the rose-colored glasses of having their park back are coming off and they're starting to realize that while it may be "back", it isn't really the same park it used to be.

^ You want a follow-up!? I may just have to deliver after the rides open... As long as I'm allowed back in [emoji14]

Similarly, SR&R missed most of last year. A few attractions down for unforeseen reasons is one thing and is to be expected. To have pretty much all of your new attractions not even be assembled yet and another 5 or 6 not operational... That's a bigger problem.

Two thousand people!? Where were they all hiding?

The one in West Chester is also opening within a week, and another one will be going in near Tri-County Mall, where Don Pablo's used to be.

^^ Just to be safe, I removed the bit where I name my hometown. I would not be surprised if I'm the only passholder with an address in my particular city and I don't want to make it too easy to identify and ban me...

I just hope that these new limitations don't cause a whole lot of downtown. Wow, that feels like a really old reference...

Just as a disclaimer before I begin here. I struggled with making up my mind as to whether I wanted this trip report to be serious or tongue-in-cheek. I would be flat-out lying if I told you that I did not have fun at the park today. They do a lot of things wrong, but there are still things about that park that I simply love. You'll find a balance of good and bad at any park, the difference always lies in the ratio, which unfortunately for this park, is not always situated where it really ought to be. Many of you may have been following the Kentucky Kingdom thread here and seen some of my input on opening day. The style in which I have written this will hopefully become apparent within the first paragraph. That having been said, here is my opening day trip report. Here it is, the moment you've all doubtlessly been waiting for. Other KICers have tried, but to my knowledge, I am the only one who managed to make it INSIDE Ed Hart's wondrous entertainment center today. Since you are all DYING to hear about it, I suppose I should offer a report. I left my home in Ohio at about 9AM this morning, waiting with bated breath to visit Louisville's finest amusement facility on their opening day. It was a cold, dreary morning, but that is to be expected, as I was not in the Kingdom, but here in boring Ohio where we do not get the pleasure of paying for amusement parks that are almost certain to succeed with our tax dollars. Sure, it may have failed before, but that's OK. Third time's the charm, right? After a dreary, dreadful drive, I arrived at the Exposition Center at approximately 11:15. I simply showed my season pass to the parking attendant and like a VIP, I was waved through the tolls without being required to pay a single nickel. When I pulled into the lot nearest the park, I was pleased to see that despite being there quite a bit after the official opening, they had been kind enough to save ample parking spaces right near the gate for my car. I approached the gate, the attendant scanned my pass, and I walked right in. They didn't even call security on me! As is customary, I headed straight for Professor John's Flying Machines. It seems management had anticipated my arrival, as I was met with an empty queue and granted the privilege of riding fully alone. I enjoyed a peaceful ride with no snapping of cables - and rightly so, as there is no place for those harmful shenanigans in the Kingdom! Being very near it at the conclusion of my ride, I decided next to venture to Lightning Run. Much to my delight, I entered the station without waiting in a queue for even a minute, and my favorite seat, the front seat of the rearmost car, was clear and available for me. I noticed a single purple train on the tracks, and no unsightly extra trains taking up space on the main course or the transfer track. Simplicity is key at a fine establishment as this one! Policies on roller coasters in this park have changed since 2014. They no longer allow eyeglasses that are not secured with a strap. In the name of safety, this is an agreeable policy. It is also so very common-sense that there is no need to communicate this prior to opening in any way. Visitors to the Kingdom should be savvy enough to anticipate such obvious changes in policy without any prior notice. While it would have been nice to be able to see the ride experience, the extra safety made for an overall improved experience. Following this ride, I went to the front of the park to purchase a glasses strap. They were $4.99, which is a bit higher than at some other, lowlier establishments such as the flagship of a certain chain of FUN parks where the same product is only $1.99, but this one was emblazoned with the Kentucky Kingdom name, which I feel really justifies the extra cost. Eyeglass-securing mechanism in tow, I resumed my lap around the park. I headed next to the 5-D Cinema, which is no longer showing a boring, dated film such as Rio, and instead is showing something more timely and relevant: a 5D experience featuring everyone's favorite scenes from the classic film The Wizard of Oz. Other parks could learn a thing or two from this attraction, as one of the musical numbers offered a clear roadmap for amusement park success. I nearly wept as the Tin Man bellowed a tune almost prophetic in nature that explained how at least SIX other FUN parks could have great success. The name of this tune was, If I Only Had a Hart! This beautiful tune moved me to tears, and the rest of the audience was undoubtedly silently weeping in their seats. At this point, I had worked up quite an appetite. There is just so much to do at the Kingdom that sometimes you forget that you have to fuel yourself. I was going to cross the bridge to the other half of the park anyway, so I decided to dine at Swampwater Jack's. Swampwater Jack's is an embodiment of the spirit of Kentucky Kingdom. There are no automatic doors to allow for wheelchair access, you see. While this will unfortunately exclude some people who may wish to dine here, it really is no trouble, as the building is still accessible to MOST people, and (most importantly) to Ed Hart himself. Upon looking at the exhaustive menu, I was pleased to see that pricing had remained as it was in 2014. Glad to see that the economy in the Kingdom is stable. I struggled to decide what I wanted to eat, but I eventually settled on an old favorite - pizza with a side of macaroni and cheese. I received one slice of pizza and my side, and I only needed to seek out the attention of one foodservice worker before I was able to be served. Last year, patrons ordering the pizza received two slices, but it seems that portion sizes have been cut back to one slice. I find this to be brilliant. This means higher profit margins, which means a higher ROI for the taxpayers of the great Commonwealth of Kentucky. Leave it to Ed Hart to always be looking out for the taxpayers who help make his great park possible! The pizza was actually quite tasty. I would have liked a second slice, but alas, the winds of change have blown for the benefit of the greater good and sometimes we must make sacrifices. Leaving Swampwater Jack's, I headed toward Thunder Run. I couldn't help but notice the impeccable themeing in this section of the park. It was as if I had strolled into an authentic European Village. Busch Gardens had better watch out, because they have some stiff competition. The Frightfully Funny Fire Engine ride really complements the immersion in this section, as what sort of traditional European village would be without a firehouse in this day and age? Since last season, numerous improvements have been made to Thunder Run. Previously, it did not deliver the great Dinn coaster experience that we all know and love. Ed Hart must have seen this problem, as the ride now has the signature Dinn "shuffling" as it rounds the first turn. This greatly enhances the immersion on the ride and brings out the best of this increasingly rare breed of coaster. From the top of the lift, I caught a glimpse of the newly rethemed T3 roller coaster. T3, for those who may not be aware, was formerly known as T2. The new name really captures the forward-thinking mindset of the new management of the park. When it opened as T2, it was one of the first of the critically-acclaimed Suspended Looping Coasters from Dutch ride manufacturer Vekoma. Vekoma Suspended Looping Coasters are renowned for their thrilling, enjoyable ride experiences designed with safety in mind. The large, bulky restraints typically seen on these coasters offer great safety as they prevent dangerous side-to-side movements of the head by forming a barrier and stopping your head's lateral movement dead in its tracks. This means increased safety for the rider, and the restraints are relatively padded, which I'm sure probably results in the repeated hitting of riders' heads against the restraints becoming a non-painful, more enjoyable experience. Word is that Hart will be installing a different type of train when it reopens in May featuring a futuristic restraint mechanism that keeps riders safe without these bulky head restraints. With Hart at the helm, I'm sure it will be a great success. Also of note is the ride's new paint scheme. Hart is going back to roots with the traditional red-on-red color scheme that dazzled the world when the ride originally opened in 1995. The red color of the track really complements the red of the supports, and the result is a dazzling spectacle of color that really pops in the park's skyline. On my way back to the front of the park, I noticed the new ride, Up Up & Away, situated right next to the bridge on an elevated platform. I may be wrong, but it appears to be a portable installation. This seems a brilliant idea, as it would allow the ride to be easily moved from place to place within the park to keep the experience fresh year after year. I also noticed the Enterprise was operational. This unique ride offers a great thrill! It may look like a Ferris Wheel at first, but don't let that fool you, as it actually offers a unique and thrilling experience that will flip you head-over-heels again and again. This ride is truly a spectacle to behold, and I'm sure that no other park has anything quite like it. Many will be quick to criticize Hart and Kentucky Kingdom due to the ride's not operating at all last year, but I'm not sure we can blame them. After all, even that obscure park up in Mason, Ohio couldn't keep one of their HUSS rides running last year. I'm sure the explanation here is similar. After these experiences, I decided to get in a few more laps on each of the Runs. With the new visual element that had been added by my purchase of a glasses strap, I noticed from Lightning Run that the pieces for the new Cyclos pendulum ride were meticulously laid out on near the former spot of the Rio Grande children's train ride (which has been relocated to King Louie's Playland and is now sitting on a nice, stable piece of concrete without any of that pesky grass in sight). I was more than a little disappointed to see the ride was not assembled, but such operations take great care and the park should have as much time as they need. A genius of Hart's caliber takes time to work and should not be rushed. The park did just come off of a rather lengthy offseason, but no doubt many other activities of great importance needed to be accomplished before focus can be placed on something trivial like installing a ride. By this point, I had done so much in the Kingdom that I was worn out. I contemplated visiting Santa Claus to ride that new Turkeybird contraption, or whatever they are calling it, but I feel I should visit that park on a day in which I have not first been to Kentucky Kingdom, so that my expectations are not unfairly raised and I can enjoy it more. So I decided instead to just journey home. As if like magic, the rain started again just as I left. It is possible that my timing was simply just perfect so that I missed the rain for the entire duration of my stay, but I think there's a better explanation. It just never rains in the Kingdom!

^ Something I myself remembered only after I had decided not to go, and then remained at Hartland long enough to legitimately not have time to get there and ride anything...

And Thunder Run is down because the station brakes won't release... Yep, going to Santa Claus now. - Homestar92, one of KIC's biggest advocates for Hartland... Edit: never mind, HW closes at 6... Wouldn't have time to ride anything. Maybe I'll go Raise Cane...

Rain is not pouring. It was, but it cleared up around noon...

Here's what you're missing, Terp. Still no wheelchair access at Swampwater Jack's. Food portions have gotten smaller, and prices remained the same (you now get one slice of pizza, last year you got 2). 2 of the 8 new rides are not even on the property that I can see. Another 3 are not operating. First song I heard upon entering the park was "Legs" by ZZ Top (REALLY, NOW?). One train running on Lightning Run. Other is not on the transfer, so it may be gone. Wizard of Oz 5D barely utilizes the moving seats. Rio was better. Heck, the Dinosaur movie at KI was better. T3 in person looks a lot less awful than in photos.

To be fair, I can go just a handful of hours southeast of Holiday World and ride a different Wing coaster. According to some people that I know who attended Media Day at HW, a better Wing coaster, even. I can go just a few hours from Holiday World and ride a whole smattering of woodies as good as or better than any of theirs (IMO, I can get that at KK). From Kentucky Kingdom, how far away is the nearest HUSS Breakdance? The nearest full-circuit Vekoma SLC (hey, some people really like them)? The nearest Chance airtime machine? The nearest Dinn that is smooth enough for the general public to really enjoy it? The nearest (large) Ferris Wheel? The nearest HUSS Flying Dutchman? None of these are really flagship rides, but the park does have a very unique, diverse ride lineup. I really don't think the rides are the problem. I could be wrong, but for me personally, the rides are the ONLY thing that make me want to go to Kentucky Kingdom rather than Holiday World. Heck, the rides are the reason I'm going to Hartland's opening day instead of Holiday World's tomorrow. Well, that and I don't like lines, and I have a strange feeling tomorrow will be one of the least busy opening days at any major amusement park ever... Though I do somewhat hope my prediction is wrong. I hope it's so incredibly crowded that I decide to leave and go to Holiday World instead, I just don't see it happening. Honestly, if Lightning Run's crew has improved the 4 minute dispatch interval I was seeing last season, I'll consider that a small victory...

Invertigo, of all the coasters at KI, is the one that I would be least unhappy to see leave. That said, I do enjoy riding it once in a while. It's one of the least bad Vekoma inverts I've ridden... If Invertigo were to go, my only wish is that something with a spectacular appearance go in its location. Invertigo is one of the most noticeable parts of the KI skyline, and at least visually, KI would be missing something if it left.

Is it "Fly by Night" or did they just "Rush"? Sorry, I had to.