disco2000

and unless it was a last minute change, the web and the schedules being handed out indicate they have a 7pm showing today as well. (will have to walk by and see if it was changed on the sign).

So, are they going to recover, and if so, now would be the right time to buy stock!

Leaving the park, I overhead a man telling his family that Son of Beast was removed because it was so rough that one person died, two backs were broke, 3 necks were broke, and 15 concussions were given on the ride. His wife told him she thought it was removed because the park didn't like the ride experience. He told her if someone didn't die and all the backs/necks broke and concussions didn't happen, they would have happily kept the ride. She then just rolled her eyes at him!

I am hoping the original intent was valid until Labor Day and they changed it. It was verbally mentioned to me, yet I haven't seen anything in writing to indicate that is indeed accurate, so here is hoping it is valid thru Nov 2nd! I still purchased it because it was an incredible deal even if it ends Labor Day.

Wait until all the guests with the season long plan that finds out it doesn't work after labor day! Unless it changed, and it is subject to change, when purchased, they informed me it was only good until labor day.

Saying we have Banshee simply because of Fast Lane may not be correct - what about all the previous rides installed before Fast Lane came into existence - was this just a farm field with tractors and horses to ride until Fast Lane came into existence? It may have been a farm prior to Kings Island, but since it's inception, it has periodically made improvements to keep it relevant and encouraging folks to visit - they had the award winning Planet Snoopy, The Beast, Vortex, Drop Tower, etc. etc. all built before Fast Lane. Heck, Diamondback, adjusted for inflation, is comparable to Banshee spending and Fast Lane did not exist at that time. We will never know for sure what the money goes to - one can assume it is rides, but it could be bonuses to execs, paying down debt, minimum wage adjustments, additional staffing, or any variety of things. It could even be used to help keep daily entry and season passes at the prices they are now! Unless you have seen the accounting books to know for sure that Banshee would not exist without Fast Lane, it is simply speculation as to what the funds generated really go to. Parks have to make these investments periodically to keep them relevant and I think Banshee would exist with or without Fast Lane money. And raise the daily admission price as well! Some folks on here have assumed that Fast Lane profits go to new rides, which I do not believe is the case. See one of my previous post quoted above from May where I suggested that maybe Fast Lane is simply allowing daily entry and season pass prices to be so low - perhaps it is showing now, and that lowering the gate price encourages Fast Lane usage. I am thinking the thought process might have been something like "You know, if we add this Fast Lane option, we can lower the gate price and increase attendance by bringing in an additional economic demographic that could afford lower gate prices. In turn, those that are used to paying more or have the funds can purchase the Fast Lane option if they don't want to wait in increased lines. This will increase attendance by introducing an economic class that may not have visited previously, as well as increasing profit from those purchasing Fast Lane." What sounds good in theory may not work out in actuality. The unintended consequence is perhaps a perceived devaluing of the park experience by those that frequent the park; longer lines for those that gave the park a chance for their entertainment dollar at the lower gate prices and were turned off by longer lines and watching folks pay to cut in front of them; and perhaps the lower gate price did not drive up attendance like they thought, or simply brought in folks that were not going to spend a dime once in the park. Perhaps increasing admission costs would lower attendance numbers, but increase profit and enhance the overall experience for everyone in attendance. Or not. They are simply dealing with a price point issue and the perceived value for a consumer dollar. The general population attitudes, spending habits, etc. are changing and the business practices and mindset that worked previously may not work with the current population environment. One only has to look at the struggling golf industry as to the impact that a changing economy has had in that industry. Many country clubs that historically had waiting lists and hefty initiation fees are now basically giving away memberships in an effort to try to draw in enough monthly revenue to simply sustain operation. And public courses are suffering worse and many around Kings Island have been/are being turned into homes. However, each are enjoying the game at the same time (granted a little science lesson means you may see and hear the hit a fraction of a second later than those behind home plate), but your enjoyment of watching and experiencing the game isn't delayed 45 minutes. Even in the cheap seats, hot dog and beer vendors will visit.

Exactly my point earlier - these articles rarely result in the general public saying "wow that family is stupid for not reading what they signed"; instead it is "wow that company sucks". If these folks are actually concerned about a few bucks, then why are they not renewing/purchasing in the fall when the full gold pass is cheaper than the junior gold pass offered at the beginning of the season and why doesn't the media point that out to them. If I were in media and did my research on prices for the story, I would point that out! Had this family purchased in the fall, it would not have been an issue. The children relatives in my family have had the regular pass since age 3 and even though one is now 7 and still has not reached 48", it was cheaper to have a regular pass bought in fall than to wait for spring and get a junior pass.

Cross-threading - this is a problem with the media today and general public today - this is really a non-story. If it is the policy and it was agreed to by such at purchase and signature, then the media should have told this family "sorry but we investigated and this is policy". In fact, it cost WCPO more in gas/staff time to go to this family's house than the difference in such said pass. But what media outlet is going to turn down an opportunity to make a company look bad. Unfortunately, no matter how balanced it is presented, the general public will have a field day with it negatively against such company. And if such media outlet did nothing, the family would simply go to another and another until a media outlet made a story out of it. If I were in media (and wouldn't last long), I would have made the family look bad for wasting my time on a non-issue. Let's face it - this type of media coverage is no different than the frivolous lawsuits brought forth every day that have no merit. Let's have Judge Judy settle it and have a field day on this family! They make it out like it is the park's fault because the family didn't read what was on the back. I love the general public that goes on the media and says "Well yea I signed it, but I didn't read it". Why doesn't the media go off on that person instead of making a company look bad. As far as the park is concerned, sometimes you have to stand your ground simply for the principle behind it. You cannot roll over every time someone goes to the media or you set yourself up to roll on every situation. I am waited with baited breath for the story tonight about someone that got a little rain on them and left the park and is upset they were not issued a raincheck!

two busted: http://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/warren-county/mason/two-women-stole-wallets-credit-cards-from-lockers-at-kings-island-officials-say

Two guys in front of me talking about Drop Tower - one says to the other "you know that thing isn't free fall, you can feel the ride pulling you down".

yep, some collect pens instead of pins

Too each their own! Some collect military coins, badges, stripes, stamps, currency from all around the world, travel to many amusement parks, travel the world, collect shot glasses, count their coaster rides, etc. I am sure in turn you do something that this 10,000th rider would say is crazy! This young man used riding the coaster as a release of years of suppressed hazing and bullying memories. More power to him. There are much more worse things he could be doing with his time. BTW - I do not keep track of my coaster tally, counts, or rides either...

And cross-threading with other topics - if this "disturbance" was serious, why did the media not pick up on it? I mean they want to pick up on every time Banshee stops on the lift hill (which is normal, acceptable, and expected), yet a disturbance out of the ordinary that many are claiming resulted in the increased security was not mentioned by the local media? (Sarcasm here as to what the media does and does not pick up on!) Personally, I would really like to see zero posts regarding security at the park. We really do not need to have posts saying that people were being checked or not checked at front gate. All it does is give the person with ill-intent additional information to figure out how to disrupt. Even if it is random days of checking, that in itself is a pattern with which one can formulate a plan. And to the original poster - you made a complaint and they called you back. End of story.

What a moral/ethical dilemma that has surfaced! I wasn't present at such event/situation so I cannot speak to what happened. Is it a case of someone simply not getting a shirt; someone that came down from CP; not having a shirt their size, etc. but had met such requirements set forth to participate and most on here are not aware requirement was met, or was it indeed truly someone that failed to meet the requirements and tried to sneak their way into such event. If it were the latter, was such person escorted away from event and/or park or was nothing done? Now, because the person hasn't been named, folks like jcgoble3, PKIVortex, and others are wondering if someone thinks it was/were them. And worse, maybe now someone that didn't know incident occurred remembers seeing someone with the shirt from last year and assumes incorrectly that person is it, thus eroding reputation of such innocent person. Does the accused individual know that they are being "called out" and is it accurate? Since this forum could loosely be considered "media" (people do get info about park from this site and members get to attend media day after all), should the individual accused of such infraction be named - unless a minor, unless being tried as an adult? Do admins ban such individual from forum? Is this the final blow that either brings the site down or causes it to be a "paid" membership? Lots of questions, many that will go unanswered for some time.

Despite what others posted about it taking weeks to re-open, I expected it would be open today - I mean it was an overheated motor - that happens all the time - I use my drill too long and it overheats and smokes. Let it cool awhile and it works again. same with my shredder. Slow media day is all I have to say. And the comments posted about the ride in the newspaper article - it is stuff like this why companies start going after false information that people post. I have been to KI plenty of times and a lot of the food places have a line out the door well beyond closing time!

These type of posts here and on other social media are the ones that drive most folks crazy - just say what it was already and quit looking for attention from 20 more posts asking what happened! There is actually a name for these types of posts - vaguebooking - Urban Dictionary defines "vaguebooking" as the following: "An intentionally vague Facebook status update that prompts friends to ask what's going on, or is possibly a cry for help." I am sure most of us would prefer to not have to scroll through 2 pages of posts asking "what happened" - just say what the "incident" was in the original post so that everyone can move along. End of rant

They are probably just training on a "light day". They may be in use this weekend as the place will probably be packed given the holiday weekend, free military, and nice weather forecasted, or maybe not. I never have anything to hide, so I cannot tell you when it was last used and when it wasn't (although I bet some folks on here can name specific dates it was in use!).

I understand where you are going with it, but I do recall a time The Beast had just a buzzbar and no seatbelt and I do not recall anyone flying out? I recall the ride being more enjoyable then, as well as a little scarier! The sad thing is because of the lawsuit crazy society we live in are the reasons all the additional "safety things" happen. It should be the rider's responsibility to know the rules and guidelines of the ride and obey them. I know the lapbar came down the required amount and that my seatbelt is secure and having a speed check by an employee doesn't make me feel any safer. But again, I am not the individual that is done for. I witness on almost every trip a rider that thought the seatbelt was optional on one of the rides I am in line with. And then when we get the individual with a pre-existing condition (bad back, obese, etc.) and either gets denied the ride or worse like injury or death, we then see additional measures put in place, even on rides nothing like the one where an incident took place. I don't know this for a fact and I am sure there are exceptions, but I would think most of the rides probably cannot dispatch if the lap bar/restraint is not secured, so the employee speed check is more for insurance liability reasons and redundancy than anything else. Now I do realize that none of the seatbelts have this feature, so they are checking that. I get into my vehicle and strap my seatbelt on and never has anyone done a pull on it to insure that I secured it properly, yet statistically, one is more likely to be injured or die in an automobile accident than an amusement park ride accident.

I'm pretty certain that Phantom Theater was never listed as an attraction in Hanna Barbera Land. Did you not click a single link XGatorHead posted? Phantom Theater was part of Hanna-Barbera Land from 1992 through 2002. The only time the main attraction that building has not been part of the children's section, but instead International Street, is 2006 onward. Eh, not quite. In terms of operations, International Street and Planet Snoopy are a single section, and all the rides associates have the same uniform there. And the crew that specifically operates Boo Blasters is also responsible for 3-4 other Snoopy attractions. From my observations, I have noticed that the crew that works at Boo Blasters rotates to the Great Pumpkin coaster, Grand Carousel, and Eiffel Tower. Boo Blasters may border Planet Snoopy, but the big merry-go-round doesn't. Do I care if the ride is considered Planet Snoopy or not - nope - I will ride a ride regardless of the "theme area" (unless of course I am too tall, etc.).

Or it could be the beginning of the end of the site as we know it. Continual inaccurate info being posted could result in a shut-down of the site or the site goes to a pay site to weed out anyone from simply creating an account and posting bogus/trolling type information. Not that being a pay site will eliminate the problem altogether, but it would reduce it as folks would be forking out money and have "traceable" accountability back to what they post (even though you are kidding yourself if you think it couldn't be figured our who is posting what as the site operates today - amazing what can be found once a search warrant is issued).

As others have mentioned and shared their recollections, I too really liked the park under the early years of Paramount (before the Viacom, CBS, etc. acquisitions). Being a movie lover, it never got old walking through the Top Gun line, and Face/Off, Italian Job, Days of Thunder, Tomb Raider and Drop Zone were great names for those rides. The stuff they showed in Paramount Theatre was awesome, and the Paramount Story garden area place was neat to walk through. I know at least for me, their acquisition paid off - I saw a lot more movies during that time frame. I know some were not fans of the "commercialization" of the park and rides, but to me, since I enjoyed movies, having the theming of the ride being movie related was great - much better than the non-theme rides prior. Were they Disney caliber, no, but the right amount of theming for this type of park. I enjoyed seeing the movie posters, the movie characters walking around, and of course the movie set exhibits they brought in. I enjoyed the Titanic exhibit at Kings Island better than one's I have visited elsewhere. I did always wonder though being such a large season pass park, if all the Star Trek characters walking around didn't have the same appeal as it would in a destination park, but I guess to those that only visited the park once or twice, that would be great to see. Bottom line is this. We live in a society where it is so easy to complain about every little thing. I am far from perfect and complain about stuff as well (rarely enough to elevate it to PR or guest relations) and am trying to do better in just being accepting that change happens, for if it didn't, the fate of the park would eventually turn to being out of business. As much as people hate change, the reality is, if an amusement park stayed the same and never made additions or changes, folks would eventually stop visiting. My advice for folks over say 30 years old, re-live in your mind thinking about the "good ole days" and feeling nostalgic when you see a video from the Paramount days. In some ways, I think life was simpler then - forums and Facebook for people to post criticism or point out negative things didn't exist. For example, I know line jumping and other things people point out happening now was happening then too, but I just didn't let it bother me or ruin my day. My advice for folks say under 30 years old or so, simply enjoy the park, savor the moments you share with friends and family, and just create great, long-lasting positive memories. One day, these years will be looked back by you as the "good ole days", so make them memorable in a good way! The joy is you will have the ability to create entirely new memories as you get married, have children, and share the park with them and reminisce about what the park was like when you were their age. Try not to get caught up in all the negative stuff folks say about the park either on this forum or on the Facebook page. I know there are times that I consider taking a break from the forum just so that all the line-jumping and Fast Lane haters comments don't enter my mind when I am at the park. Personally I am not a Fast Lane fan and I feel like if I used it, I would be missing out on some of the things that made the park great to me growing up. Some of my best experiences at the park have been when I didn't ride a single ride, and other great experiences have been standing in the long lines with friends and just really getting to talk, or meeting new friends by virtue of simply standing in line and starting a conversation. Done with my Jerry Maquire moment (oops wrong movie studio)....carry on..

Like I mentioned earlier in the thread, unfortunately I see this great program having the same fate as Fun Perks. Also, I thought TOS indicates that if you cannot provide an employee's name to information that you are posting, then you shouldn't post it? So unless that employee's name was Guest Services, you shouldn't have posted it (that they said it was acceptable to share)? Then later same poster is either speaking in third person or then indicated that this information was actually heresay told to another member of this forum? (Sorry for rant - someone once criticized me for posting something that a person in Guest Services told me, but I didn't catch a name).

I wonder if the Fast Lane purchasers will be offered entry into this ERT as well?

Saying we have Banshee simply because of Fast Lane may not be correct - what about all the previous rides installed before Fast Lane came into existence - was this just a farm field with tractors and horses to ride until Fast Lane came into existence? It may have been a farm prior to Kings Island, but since it's inception, it has periodically made improvements to keep it relevant and encouraging folks to visit - they had the award winning Planet Snoopy, The Beast, Vortex, Drop Tower, etc. etc. all built before Fast Lane. Heck, Diamondback, adjusted for inflation, is comparable to Banshee spending and Fast Lane did not exist at that time. We will never know for sure what the money goes to - one can assume it is rides, but it could be bonuses to execs, paying down debt, minimum wage adjustments, additional staffing, or any variety of things. It could even be used to help keep daily entry and season passes at the prices they are now! Unless you have seen the accounting books to know for sure that Banshee would not exist without Fast Lane, it is simply speculation as to what the funds generated really go to. Parks have to make these investments periodically to keep them relevant and I think Banshee would exist with or without Fast Lane money.

The saying goes something like it only takes one person to make change happen - maybe this thread will be the one that re-aligns the moral and ethical compass of those who got out of alignment. What a great story Avatar - so many people don't realize the consequence of a simple mistake like accidentally being given back too much change. As Terp pointed out - folks are quick to make a scene and point out if McDonald's shorts them some food, but get an extra Big Mac or a $10 instead of a $1 in change and these same folks can't get out of the parking lot fast enough!