homestar92

I'll likely still buy it, but the 4 hour wait makes this deal much less of a value for me. I usually go to the park after work. Rarely am I even there for 4 hours. I enjoyed being able to grab pizza on my way out as a snack for the way home If there is a single-park option with the same old two hour wait, I'd personally go for that one. If not, I'll still buy it as it is still a good value, just not nearly as good a value as the version from this season. AFTER-POST EDIT: I suppose that the 4 hour wait IS better than the alternative, which would be for them to have cut the plan entirely. I would really like to see more restaurants in the plan now that it is more limited, but if it ends up being just like we have no (but with twice the wait) I won't be too terribly upset. It's still a heck of a deal when you live nearby.

Chainwide all-season dining plan?! They say a picture's worth a thousand words, so let me sum up my thoughts with a few: I think those images describe my thoughts on the matter. This is a no-brainer purchase for me.

To my knowledge, Platinum prices don't change through the season and are the same chainwide, other than being slightly cheaper at Canada's Wonderland due to exchange rates. However, higher sales tax would likely nullify the savings regardless.

Hmm... Is it possible to see Millennium Force from Lake Erie Eagles? Kinda... You can vaguely see the turnaround that sits over Dinosaurs Alive, but even that is tough. That midway is a lot busier than it used to be and visibility of other parts of the park has decreased a bit. That said, it's a massive improvement. That midway is awesome.

Those ones are also visible from the temporary queue that they use on days when it's REALLY, REALLY long and overflows the normal queues. Thus far, the only day I have seen with a line that long was opening day.

Advertising this promotion well will also prove to be essential. I know many people who wait to renew their pass until the spring. I'm not sure why, it's like they WANT to spend more money. Suffice it to say that no matter how the promotion works, if you renew after November 2nd, you won't be getting a free Fast Lane for 2014.

Wow, Fast Lane to use on a Sunday in the fall! Oh boy, I get to use the 3 minute line instead of the 5 minute line...

To quote Led Zeppelin: "And it makes me wonder..." Could we be seeing some changes to the way the dining plan works on a Platinum Pass?

^Just to eliminate any confusion, the corn dogs were undoubtedly for me, and not the other Jonathan (Goble). I trust that for Goble, you paid a visit to a certain inverted arch?

I like the idea of the Staminator Junior that just goes in circles on a quarter mile track 15,000 times. It reminds me of NASCAR.

Now in theory, once they get in the park, I suppose you COULD leave... Though I can't speak for how your friends would feel about that.

There's nothing wrong with throwing enthusiasts a bone every now and then. However, the old scooters from KI have a new home now, and are now loved by many, many people young and old whose home park is Carowinds. It is obvious from this thread that we all loved our Eagles. It is clear to me that it really hurt many of us to have them abruptly taken away. So that having been said, would you really want to make the people at that park go through the same thing? Two wrongs don't make a right. I, for one, would be fine with a GOOD set of Larsons with good placement (and the speed knob on the CORRECT setting ). They aren't QUITE as good as our old set, and I'll openly admit that. But I wouldn't want to rob anyone else of their beloved ride. That's not the solution to this problem. Humans are pretty great, With over 70 years of technological progress to boast since they were built, I think we could actually build a set of scooters that are even better. Why don't we work on that instead?

I don't think the conversion is permanent. It never was in Stunt Crew Grill.

I think in 2019, there will be six flags over Coney Mall. - Homestar92, not thinking what you're probably thinking.

If there were actual working guns on Booze Hill, it would probably turn very quickly into Boot Hill.

^I heard it was the llamas. -Homestar92, cross-threading. Or double-parking. Or something.

If we replaced the Dippin' Dots guy with a machine, how would we ever know what new attractions are coming for the next season?

To all of the people suggesting that Coney is getting revamped, I for one would be more than a little disappointed. Of all the sections in the park, Coney is least in need of a makeover in my book (besides the newly renovated Action Zone, that is). I'd be surprised if this weren't Haunt related. I noticed today that Tower Gardens is closed off. I'm guessing that they're starting to get things ready. Haunt is the part of the year where Kings Island really shines. It's no secret that Kings Island's Haunt is not only one of the busiest (and therefore theoretically moneymaking) parts of the season. Might as well prepare early. Compared to a coaster, these mazes are cheap and go up quick, but give it a little extra time and you can make something grand without spending a whole lot more money. I wouldn't be surprised if the short-term ROI for a new Haunt maze is actually higher than a major coaster in its first season.

^I would agree with you to an extent. But perhaps it is not so much Mantis that you rank highly as it is the concept of a Standup coaster. If you rode one that was exponentially better, you could potentially begin to see Mantis as being less good, and since there would be a better coaster to give you the same novelty of a standup, Mantis would cease to be better than those others, as you can get what it once offered you elsewhere. I like to think of it like this. There was a time when I would have ranked Diamondback above the likes of Adventure Express and The Beast. However, as I rode more coasters (specifically hypercoasters) I realized that I really liked the IDEA of a hypercoaster, but began to see Diamondback as being a fairly weak representative of hypercoasters in general. So where it once sat in my list, it has been replaced with Maggie and/or Phantom's Revenge, and upon my realizing that it is a very mediocre hypercoaster, I no longer rank it above those coasters, as I no longer find it impressive. I'm sure that post made exactly zero sense, but whatever. It makes sense to me.

Can't you just be happy that I'm giving "mama park" credit for something?

So this evening around 7:30, I decided that I wanted to go to Kings Island. I've been really burned out on Kings Island lately, but I figured I could make it by about 8 and get in a solid two hours of rides, which is better than sitting at home and doing nothing. So I put down the top on my car, hopped in and headed for Kings Island via 275 to 71. I got to the park at 8 and much to my surprise, at some point they stop staffing the parking tolls, because there were no employees to be seen. Not that it matters for me, since I have a Platinum Pass, but I found it odd. Anyway, I pulled ol' Blue Streak into an available spot in row 51 and headed into the park. As is tradition, I headed straight for Coney Mall and the finest steel coaster in the park, good ol' Vortex. Vortex was a walk-on in most rows, but 7-1 was taken, so I went to 6-2. The ride is still solid in 6-2. Good air on the first drop, only slightly less intense than in 7-1. Since there was no line, I made a quick loop around and went for another ride, this time walking right onto 7-1. After another great ride, I decided to move on to something else, so I headed up the midway toward Action Zone. On the way, I got a quick ride on the Blue Racer. I was surprised to see them running both sides today, but I won't complain. After Racer, I continued to Adventure Express and got a very eerie ride with the entire train to myself. It was very... different. Of course, since it's the finest non-inverting coaster at Kings Island, I had to go around and ride it again. And yes, I did say that, and yes, I've been to Rivertown. The second time around, I had to sit in front of a couple who felt it necessary to talk in great detail about how much they dislike both Adventure Express and Vortex. I wanted to ask them why they would ride it if they hated it so much, but I resisted the urge. Even still, my jimmies were thoroughly rustled by their comments. I quickly got over it, though, because a ride on one of the finest coasters in Ohio can cure almost any ail. I decided to go ahead and continue in my path toward Action Zone and got in a ride on Banshee. It was a stair wait and I was on the ride in about 5 minutes. Row 2 needs a wheel replaced, it's a tad shaky, but by no means unpleasant. By this time, it was getting sufficiently dark, so I headed for one of my favorite night rides, The Bat. It was a great ride as usual, and I've decided that 1-2 is actually my favorite row on that ride (odd considering that even numbered rows on two-row Arrow cars are not typically very tall person friendly). Oh how I long for the days when they allowed re-rides. I could ride The Bat all day, but if I am forced to walk all the way back to the shortcut path between the entry path and exit path, re-rides are simply not happening often for me. Anyway, I really wanted to spend the night hours in Coney, so I headed back that direction next. Back in Coney, I contemplated riding Flight of Fear. The line was back to about the first bend leading up to the stairs to the UFO. I decided to pass, as with that ride's capacity, it would be a longer wait than it's worth. I opted instead for the one-train wait on Firehawk. I don't believe I'd ever ridden Firehawk at night before and I have to say, it's a fantastic night ride. I enjoyed myself. But at this point, it was about 9:30, so to finish off the night the right way, I headed back to Vortex for two more laps. At the end of my two laps, it was 9:54, so I got in line for WindSeeker, which was just on its way up the tower. As suspected, it came back down around 9:57, and by the time we loaded and dispatched, the fireworks were just starting. I love fireworks rides on WindSeeker, and this one was no less awesome. Of course, when the ride was done, it was after 10:00, so the park was closed. On the way out, I naturally passed by the International Bandstand where Playlist Live was being performed. The song they were on at that point was Paramore's "Still Into You". I'm glad this was the song they were on as I passed. It made me stop and think for a moment. I had been burned out on Kings Island. Just a few hours earlier, it felt like a chore driving to go there, but I decided to do it anyway. And when I got there, I had one of the best visits to the park I've ever experienced. I'm at Kings Island a lot, and nothing there is really new to me. And even still, like the song says, after all this time, I'm still into it. It's easy to get burned out on something when you do it over and over, but how could I not love a place full of so many special memories with special people, some of whom I'll never get to see again? I'd say today's visit really rekindled my love for this park. And to top it all off, I got to take the long way home with the top down and enjoy the best night ride of them all, then sit down in my favorite chair and type up this trip report with a cold Redd's Apple Ale (By the way, thanks for introducing me to that drink, Devan!) "Mama park", as at least one person here calls it, may have a lot of special things, and is certainly a top-tier amusement park. But there's only one park full of the sentimental value and special memories that I'll never be able to replace as long as I live, and it is not in Sandusky. It's not even in West Mifflin, PA, as much as it pains me to say. No, the park that will always be MY park, MY home away from home, and MY happy place will always be Kings Island. Where else? I will also add that I needed this trip. I've spent a lot of time stressing myself over stupid things that aren't really worth stressing over, and to take a couple hours to stroll through my favorite place and enjoy some of my favorite thrill rides was a much needed break from the scary grown-up world.

Honestly, I'm not that grossed out by public bathrooms or restaurants. I can guarantee that they are probably cleaned more often than my bathroom or kitchen. Does your fridge have an automatic ice maker or water dispenser? How often do you clean it? Just some "food" for thought.

That was low, sir. Even for you.

^

Being thrown around is fun. Being repeatedly bludgeoned in the head by a poorly designed restraint is not. That's probably why I enjoy rough wooden coasters, but don't particularly care for Vekoma SLCs. Then again, a lot of people complain that Vortex beats them in the head, and if it isn't my favorite coaster of all time (definitely a toss-up between Vortex, Maggie, and Phantom's Revenge for me), it definitely holds the most sentimental value to me of any coaster in the world. But hey, to quote something that I remember from my younger years, "Everyone is different, no two people are the same!"