MDMC01

I'm not sure how to feel about this. While I do use a card for most transactions, it is nice to be able to use cash when I have it. And even if you do have said cash, seems like it's being pushed to switch over to a card as those card machines charge a fee after a while. On a more positive note, those employees working the cash register (er, just "register" now) may have an easier time as there will just be credit/debit payments and this will eliminate any issues associated with handling cash (I know this as I've been on placed on register at times during my early days working in Food Service). EDIT: Ok, so I just read that cash card can be used outside the park as well. That's pretty cool - it basically functions as a Visa gift card of sorts! Also, a question with how this works- if you have, say , $10 on a card and spend it all, does the "92 days of inactivity" charge not apply because it was spent? Or, put another way, does the "92 days of inactivity" charge only apply to leftover funds on the card? Thanks for clarification.

Not yet... lol Soon... EDIT: In all seriousness, haven't heard much about Haunt this year. However, Carnivale should be pretty cool.

Agreed! I rode front row for the first time during my last KI trip and it was crazy awesome! The wind in my face reminded me of speedboat rides I took as a kid (except on Orion, it's at 91 mph!).

That;'s cool how they converted the area under Dragster's bleachers into a Freestyle stand!

I agree that arrangement had both its upsides and downsides. While it was nice that each country had its own area, getting to said areas and seeing the performances may have been difficult if you didn't know where to look. For example, in 2019, I pretty much knew about India and China's performances (India was probably my favorite pavilion - I went through a "Bollywood" music phase in High School and still enjoy that music from time to time), but had to find out about Germany's performance as it happened; I also didn't realize there was a performance by Graeter's (don't remember what country was being represented there) until some time into the event. But at the same time, being on the same stage means that performances won't necessarily overlap. We'll just have to see how things go.

Good to know; thanks for posting the info. I'm looking forward to that new scavenger hunt with the QR codes.

The last time I rode (June 20th), everything seemed to work, however, the front projector was obscured. The only reason I knew we got the tree was due to the sound effects.

So apparently, some new theming has appeared concerning what may be Volcano and/or The Crypt's replacement: https://www.coaster101.com/2021/06/23/mysterious-crates-appear-at-kings-dominion/

I think Diamondback is overrated. I thought this before Orion and now that I've ridden Orion, I think it's even more true. I get the love, but I think it's a bit overrated.

I would say Adventure Express, especially now that more of the effects are working! EDIT: So, I voted for Adventure Express, but I would also say The Bat. It's a good coaster that has that long walk to the station (possibly) working against it.

Sort of; I think @BoddaH1994 is referring to the Coke stand where you can get your own drink from a few different flavors - IIRC, it is located between the arcade and Rivertown LaRosas.

I went and had a great time today! Lines were not bad, so I got to do Flight of Fear, Orion (3 times!), Shake Rattle and Roll, Backlot (twice!), Beast, Diamondback (which is a kiddie coaster compared to Orion, IMO), WindSeeker, Adventure Express, Banshee (twice), Bat (twice), Delirium and Drop Zone. I also went up on the Effiel Tower and caught 2 shows of Busker Jam! Dangolshoot, I love that show! Because of my great front row ride on Orion (and it just being a fun ride), it is now my official favorite coaster at KI (The Bat is now second place). And let me tell you, that front row ride was something else! I felt like I was on a 91-mph speedboat with all that wind in my face!!! Flight of Fear's ride before that was also insane; the first half was a blur and reminded me of that Spongebob meme where Mr. Krabs is sitting there all confused (from the "Pretty Patties" episode). And once again, the Rivertown Freestyle was actually open!!! @King Ding Dong Yeah, today was a great day in the park!

Great PTR! I was also there today and had a great time! Happy Father's Day!

Glad you enjoyed your trip! I rode Antique Autos on my 2nd visit of 2021 and it's a nice ride. I think my favorite reference is the Adventure Village reference on the "Wild Animal Habitat" sign.

Ok, so, it does look like bowling will be kept upstairs as well @BoddaH1994. Sounds like a cool place!

For anyone who wants to read the article, there appears to be a paywall. However, once I exited out and clicked back on the link, I was able to view the article.

I heard the cicaidas in Blue Ash when I was picking up some bagels earlier at Marx Bagels (I love that place! ).

That is amazing; did not know those existed! I've used cargo shorts for years. I prefer the kind that use zippers, but I've also used the kind that has deep pockets and has snaps. I even got a new (zipper) pair before the season started just so I could ride Orion (as even before COVID, I was wondering how I'd secure my stuff on-ride as I still used the cargo pants that snap).

Yeah, that was me if it was after the 2:00 show. I did not realize that was you I spoke with; good to see you again! BTW, I love that show - I've seen it 3 times already. EDIT: Also, in answer to the above - no, I did not hear of any fights; I left right before close (which was 8 PM tonight).

Ruh-roh KDD! Also, I had a baguette from French Corner today (yes, it was open!) and it was pretty good. I got the butter with it, but I was not a fan of the flavor. I ended up eating it plain, and it was better that way. On a random side-note, it's also smaller than I expected. Nonetheless, it was still good.

Update: My answer is Mystic Timbers. While Mystic Timbers and Orion both have themes, I feel like Mystic's theme is better incorporated with the ride (videos and posters and queue, the shed, etc.) while Orion's theme kinda stops once you leave the station. However, I do feel like all of Area 72 is very well themed (especially the stuff I found while waiting in line for FOF). That being said, if we are going with judging individual coasters, Mystic Timbers is still the winner in my book!

Yep. There was one my Diamondback today. I thought about playing, but I didn't. Also, had a great day today; finally got to see all of the available shows and I think Busker Jam and Center Stage Live are my favorites. In addition to seeing the shows, I rode Orion twice (Row 2 and Row 9 (I think?), in the inside seat closet to the entrance and the outer seat closet to the entrance and my first ride was actually forceful in the inside seats!), Delirium (super relaxing- I closed my eyes for almost the whole ride), The Train, Mystic Timbers (got the tree, but the main projector wasn't working (main screen was obscured), so we only heard it and saw the side screen), WindSeeker (great view of Orion and Vortex's field), Zephyr, and Boo Blasters (got stuck in there towards the end; it's actually a decent dark ride IMO and I enjoy seeing the iPod still there after all these years). Though I did not ride Flight of Fear (ran out of time and the line was crazy most of the day), I did see some of the theming and saw a symbol in line that I had seen on the bottom of Adventure Express's station opening weekend. There were also allusions to other rides like The Beast, Son of Beast, Mystic and of course, Orion with their opening years along with a symbol and location marker. On a final note, the Rivertown Coke Freestyle was open(!) @King Ding Dong and I got a Vanilla Coke before riding the Train.

Thank you so much!

Before I was a member here, I used to flip back and forth between (P)KI Extreme and here. I think PKI Extreme was the first site I stumbled on and I remember it looking cool (and IIRC, the pictures were more organized), but I ultimately ended up here. Though lots of people go on social media (Facebook,Reddit) for their info these days instead of discussion forums), I feel like I've gone the opposite direction. Aside from having a LinkedIn page, watching Youtube videos, and looking at Smogon (Pokemon site)'s Twitter feed (I don't have a Twitter account anymore), I think this is the only "social media" (if you want to call it that - I think of it more as an online community) that I am a part of. It's unfortunate that the pictures will be taken down from that site when it closes Monday, perhaps @IndyGuy4KI and KIE could work out a deal to host said pictures here in their own separate galleries. It's sad that KIE is closing down, but I'm glad KIC is still here and (hopefully) thriving.