OldieButGoodie

Mine did Terp - both places! I have had a bad experience GETTING my pass (the year CF took over from Paramount), but beyond that it has worked flawlessly. We even tried the turnstile at the pass parking area at KD and it worked. (we stayed in the Best Western Kings Quarters - which was much better than expected and we could walk to teh front gate faster than the shuttle could get us there)

I wasn't all that happy with the wardrobe, but the performances were top notch. Since the shows all seem to be 'musical reviews', it's really whether you like the songs or not, but you can't fault the cast for the selection. Overall they were high-energy and very good for opening day - should only improve as the season goes on.

I was bummed to carry in one of the old cups and not refill, but the new deal is pretty good. They're more expensive (since they're smaller ala Carowinds), but they refill free the day you buy it and .99 for the season. The smaller cup will be better from a melting-ice perspective (we seldom finished the old ones because it was deluted, warm, and not very good). Seems like a fair trade for those of us with passes. Kinda stinks that the cups we have from other parks we visited won't be good, but when you consider the price of a visit to a park 3-9 hours away, it's small potatoes. Alas, no Dad souvenir cup yet (again, ala Carowinds) for adult beverages.

^^^ Amen brother! I'm much happier with the season pass prices being lower and having the option. And I think (based on observation but certainly not scientific method) that most of these FL bucks come from teens with lots of disposable income and few true responsibilities, and vacationing folks looking to maximize 'throughput' in a day or two. The only time I think I've been delayed thus far, was at Halloween time, and the park is so crowded then that you just have to suck it up if you choose to go. Spending money in the park is all about options - arcades, merchandise, food, and yes - Fastlane. I'll choose how to spend mine, and so will you, and we'll make the call based on perceived value, but the more options they afford, the better the profit is likely to be, and the sooner we'll see improvements! I'm ready for opening day!

No, actually its a Lose, Lose.. And both the loses go to John and Jane Parkgoer who cant afford it. Once again, the WhinePass is the Stupidest, greediest and Most ridiculous idea that Cedar Fair has ever come up with...Period... Wow - I just couldn't disagree more. I can afford it, but choose not to pay for these things. If it's unpopular it'll be dropped, but lots of things in life are easier for those with wealth and harder for those without. That's why I took the college prep classes when I would have preferred shop class, and why my folks sacrificed to send me to school when my Dad lost his job and Mom went to school. After that investment, I have a little coin to spare after what I donate to charity and the 'contribution' I make to government. Tomorrow through a stroke of fate, I could be far more poor than I am today, so I weigh every purchase. At the end, these additional revenues, paid by folks willing to shell out the extra dough, pay for new rides, improved park experience, etc. - it has little to do with 'greed' and far more to do with the business bottom-line. I drive 40 miles each way, each time I bring my boys and I to the park, and it's STILL a great buy.

Well golly, if the concrete footings from SoB were in the way, and the water tower were in the way, of ... say ... a large winged coaster that was going to reach out into the AZ.. oh, nevermind. One can dream though...

Thanks so much for The Beast photos with the water! The station was so very different with all that - right down to the ripples in the pond that happened as The Beast rolled out of the station. Too cool.

Aha! ^^^ Another Old Guy!

Sounds like he truly *was* the smartest kid in school!

I'm with the folks who posted Maverick (or at elast a clone). It could go in Rivertown and theme up with the railroad, or in the Action Zone. What a tremendous addition it would be to KI! (I'd love a TTD, but I absolutely love Maverick's uniqueness)

You know how when you clean your house, you tend to keep it that way for as long as you can because it is easy to keep it that way? When you have guests over they also tend to be more cautious about keeping their mess to a minimum and cleaning up after themselves. I believe the same goes for Amusement Parks. Parks that are organized, and continuously keep their establishment clean I have found to have less litter from guests. Disney always has a very polished look and is extremely clean and I found myself holding on to my trash until I found a bin to toss it. Kings Island (unfortunately) even with its trillions of trash cans cant get that same result. I don't think the amount of trash cans one park helps it become cleaner, if anything it makes the park look worse and dirtier. It comes down to if the guests feel uncomfortable littering because of the parks current state. It takes extra money to keep a park as big as KI clean, but its results can have a huge impact on yearly attendance. ^^ I'm not so sure anymore. Some will adhere to this, but others figure 'that's somebody else's job' and feel no remorse about tossing a butt or trash - in fact they get defensive if it's mentioned (not that *I* would say something like, "you're not planning to leave that there, are you?")

I agree with the posts on the burrito quality - they're very tasty at Outer Hanks. Perhaps a bit pricier than Chipotle but when you consider they don't (didn't at least, when I last went) charge for Guac, it's a deal. Made fresh to order, which is *always* a winner with me. That said, when I went the build time was sooooooo slow! There's no reason it should take more than about 3 minutes to get you from order to eating, and that really goes for anyplace in the park. With that target, even long lines would be no problem., and having worked a bit of fast food in my day I know it can be done. Still - fresh to order is huge! I also love the ideas for the Festhaus - but they probably warrant a separate thread to get the right folks' attention!

Thanks for posting! You know, that band organ was magical - it was *the reason* I rode the carousel! I hate seeing things in disrepair, and I don't know the logistics or legal aspects but I know at least one KI affinicianado who'd love to come and help in almost any way - for free - where only sweat equity is required (not specific trades etc). I suppose liability concerns would prohibit such a thing, but labor costs are nearly always the highest expense. Might be neat to be able to help get things ready (heck, even cleaning). Can anybody tell I'm ready for opening day?

Like so many others, I move a *lot*! I'm frequently carrying my dSLR looking for a nice shot, and I take breaks at Outer Hanks and the Festhaus. Ah, the Festhaus - usually a great show going on, and an adult beverage to cool me off. Would that the original theming were back though, and perhaps a separate beverage line for refills. If I had such a 'haus', know what I'd do around Oktoberfest time?

The videos are awesome! Thanks for posting Don and IndyGuy. I'd prefer the Red side, but agree with a previous poster that Flight Deck might be fun too (heck even my old bones are up for that! )

^^ agree! We *always* spend a few days up there - a week is even better. We've gotten so spoiled at KI in terms of lines (or the lack thereof). If anyone recalls when The Beast line had 4 queue houses and stretched to where Stunt Track is now (pawprints on the ground and all) - CP often has actual lines, so one day just isn't enough, you just have to plan around it!

whoops, you're right. Feel free to help me out on an Expert idea - I'm tapped out (heck, I can't even get my direct link to work today!)

Not sure why the embedded image isn't working, here's the URL https://dl.dropbox.com/s/kzbvrgc18hllfwe/IMG_5288.JPG Easy: any landscape area Hard: Beast leaving station with water in the lagoon Expert: Concert at Timberwolf

1979, the year I graduated from Mt Healthy H.S., curing my coaster-phobia on The Beast. In those days, You could drink beer (3.2%) from buckets, which no doubt helped. http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=2CcOWTVoxauWg http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=2CcOWTVoxaueA

Curious whether anyone waited like I did, for the pay-in-April promotion. Renewals for Gold passes are obvious, but how is a Platinum pass renewed online? It looks like they're 'buy it' or 'buy it' ie no renewal option. I surely don't want to go thru the processing line if I can avoid it. (sigh...)

^^^^ True Dat, could not agree more. The train was fun to ride when there was *action*... the guns, the beavers and the trees, before the PC police rained down. I love the machinery of the trains, but the ride is boring. I think Dinosaurs takes up the most useful real estate lately though. Impressive to see how big they really were, but only once.

Not sure this is the right place, so please forgive me if that's the case, but vote now! There's no denying that for coasters, CP is ahead of us. But we're sooooo spoiled with the short wait times almost any day we attend, as well as the compact layout of the park that allows us to change our minds without killing our legs! http://behindthethrills.com/2012/12/thrill-weekly-poll-park-of-the-year-2012-region-three/

How I do miss that thing - it was the "heart" of the Grand Carousel, at least to me. The ride isn't at ALL the same without the genuine band organ.

I agree, but it lost so much when the Wurlitzer Band Organ was taken out. :-(

So, it's off season and as I reflect on the food options there were hits and definite misses... - The cheese-steaks - really good, priced about right, and made to order (both a blessing and a curse) - The pretzels - consensus seems to be that they were an improvement over the Super Pretzel and I concur, never had a bad one - The gluten-free pizza - quite good and made to order, and I don't remember it being so overpriced as the original LaRosa's pie - The freestyle machines - my sons love 'em, I hate paying extra, guess that's why we have choices! - Agree with above on the $5 drink wristbands. We probably did a tad better than breaking even, but we got into the habit of just buying them either way and never felt cheated. <--- that's the key, "never felt cheated" - The burritos at Hanks - tasty and fresh, but oh so dreadfully slooooooooooow. Fix that and you've got a real winner (think 'Chipotle', because everyone in line is...) - The Morelein beers - not bad, and certainly the 'trendy' thing. Nothing wrong with getting rid of BL Lime (lol) and it pays hommage to local brewing history, but there are other better beers for $8 a glass. Would still LOVE to see the 'Dad souvenir mug' ala Carowinds. Did not see negative impacts the week we were there, $5.99 was still pricey enough to discourage overconsumption. - Food carts during Haunt - great idea, but we never passed one that was open when we were hungry. Not a dig, just what happened. So, now I'm thinking, "If I were king (or Don Helbig) for a day, what would I love to see in the food experience at KI for 2013?"... Any thoughts?