Joshua

I get that some of you are frustrated about the lines, but with only a few days facing customers, they are doing well. It's not as easy of a job as we'd like to think. As a KI Food Department alumni and a current food service employee- yeah, it actually is easy as we'd like to think. Customer service jobs can be mentally testing, because it can be rather testing dealing with human beings in general. So while the work is simple and light, having to deal with an interchangeable turnstile of terrible people who insult your intelligence for silly, often presumptuous and naive reasons on a daily basis is not.

They seemed to be down on employees. I am not sure if this was a scheduling situation or something out of their control, such as no shows and call offs. When we got there, they said there would be a 45 minute wait, but that they would text us when our table was ready. It turned out to me more of a 20 minute wait. Either they got more staff in or people gave up on waiting. ...but can you comfortably get in a ride line to make the most of your wait??? We actually just waited in the seats. We could have went to the shops or just simply walk around. If we found a shorter line elsewhere, we could have ignored the text. But having that table reserved was a benefit. The wait only ended up being 20 minutes, so patience is a virtue.

They seemed to be down on employees. I am not sure if this was a scheduling situation or something out of their control, such as no shows and call offs. When we got there, they said there would be a 45 minute wait, but that they would text us when our table was ready. It turned out to me more of a 20 minute wait. Either they got more staff in or people gave up on waiting.

This is something maybe most people might not complain about. At least, I thought so at first. It sounds like it is bothering quite a few passholders. For many, it was an excellent perk. But on Sunday, it really didn't amount to much of a perk at all.

All of Soak City's attractions can be ridden with a shirt. Oh, that's an old wive's tale. In all seriousness, the last time I stepped foot in Soak City, it was called WaterWorks. This was before Paramount touched the park, so we're talking at least over two decades. Nothing against Soak City. I just typically focus on the main park and its atmosphere.

I saw a person in line with this very shirt today. Oddly enough, the kid seemed to be too young to even remember reruns of any of those shows.

It is very appealing, to me, since it is a nice "cool down" ride on a hot, summer day. It's location in Rivertown is double appealing. If i were to be spotted shirtless at Soak City, I'd be mistaken for a wild grizzly bear and shot on site. White Water Canyon it is. It may go away one day, but I don't think it's going anytime soon.

First off, it was a great day for Kings Island. The sun was shining. It was warm, but not too hot. No rain in sight. Perfect weather. Second, I can count the amount of times I visited the park last year on one hand. One hand! I plan to make up for it this year and since I am now a freelance video editor, whereas last year I was a full time student/full time employee, I plan to hit the park fast and furious at least twice a month, if my schedule permits it. As I marched in at 9:30am, I moved past the front gates with my cousins, going right to Diamondback. In the past couple years, we'd be able to get at least three rides within 20 to 30 minutes time thanks to ERTs, but I quickly noticed something odd as we got in line for our second ride -- every one in the whole park was seeming in line. This is odd, I thought. Normally people split, heading Banshee or to whatever other rides are on the ERT list this season. Listening amongst the people around us, I learned that there is only one major coaster on the ERT list every day and that, allegedly, it changes every day. When I got home, I tried to validate this information on the official website, but had trouble finding any information on ERT on the site. So, if this information is in deed wrong, please be sure to let me know. However, if it is true, I feel somewhat disappointed. I know this is something that 99.9999% of Gold Pass holders could care less about, but for me ERT was the true benefit of having a Gold Pass, along with the free parking. I was typically satisfied with my rollercoaster hunger in the morning that I didn't mind waiting in lines for the rest of the day. Plus, as a consumer, I am a huge believer of what I call "the ketchup and napkins" philosophy. If ketchup and napkins have been handed to paying customers at the drive thru in the past, they should always be given to the customer. Consumers typically get used to having certain benefits that they love. So while there could be some corporate reason behind this and even though ERT is technically still available, taking away from it really lessens the value of paying extra for the Gold Pass, in my opinion. Another tiny complaint I found had to do with the ride photos. Now, I have nothing against FunPix. It's not something I am personally interested in, but for those who buy a lot of these photos, it makes financial sense. Having said that, for those of who do not want to indulge in FunPix, but may very well still purchase a photo, it is very annoying to look at these photos because there is a series of FunPix watermarks, making it very hard to find yourself. In fact, I had trouble seeing past the watermarks because they are very prominent. I understand why they might be there, but the watermark needs to be toned down. As a consumer, this just makes it a harder sell for me. My third and final complaint has to do with the games. Apparently, you have to buy a card to play the games. Now this is something that probably won't be a big deal a month from now, but since this is a new concept, maybe I am just apprehensive to it. It just seems annoying and convoluted to spend money on something to spend money on something. Plus, since I saw those cards throughout the park, it seems like everyone tosses them when they're done. Isn't that kind of wasteful? (I even saw one on the tin roof going up The Beast. You know, the one with all the rubber bracelets that never seem to disappear? What's up with those bracelets anyway?) Are you able to add more money on to these cards or are they "one and dones?" The ride times were alright. I think my longest wait was my second ride for Diamondback and for Delirium. The latter of which I've had my fair share of long waits the past couple years. It seems like there is some difficulty or lack of motivation when it comes to cycling the riders, even with the capacity it carries. But this wait wasn't as drastic as some I had last year. I would say maybe 30 minutes, if that. I think the second Diamondback wait was around 40. According to FunTV, The Beast was at an hour, but when I rode it, I basically waited like 5 minutes. So I thought that was strange. Banshee was a 20 minute wait. We went to the Reds Hall of Fame Grill for lunch. This was my second time there and both times I loved the food. Compared to some of the other dining options, it seems you get a really good value for the price you pay. That might change one day, but I hope not. They seemed to be down some waiters, but not knowing the circumstances, I can't ding them for that. As far as I know, they might've had call offs or no shows. Speaking of Reds Hall of Fame Grill, my cousin pointed this out. Our server was new and had our credit cards for maybe 10 minutes trying to ring us out. A couple of us have an anxiety towards that. I know I personally hate it when a server disappears out of sight with my credit cards, even for a second. Maybe I am paranoid, but I fear all it would take is a second for a server to take a photo of my card's front and back and it's a Amazon shopping spree they-a-go. A lot of places, like Olive Garden, have this tablet device on the table for which you use to pay. I would love to see that here or any dine-in restaurants for that matter.

One is an iconic earworm; the other is simply a superfluous and unneeded announcement "It's A Small World After All" was also written for a ride that needs a song. Otherwise, you're floating in a boat, watching silent, dancing, mechanical children in awkward silence. Admittedly, I love the music and songs of Disney Parks and even own a pair of soundtracks, one for Disneyland and another for The Haunted Mansion, featuring their iconic themes and many of their more obscure material, such as holiday specific music.

The only rational assumption one could make, as good as any fact if not better, is that Kings Island has built a brand new roller coaster in secret, sneakily hidden from webcams and plain eye view by a very large matte painting. Well played Cedar Fair, well played.

Are you referring to the same tent/dome that housed the preview for the movie Congo?

I imagine it's a way to make sure you still spend more than $13 at the park.

Ah! It's about time someone found Curly's gold.

This is spot on. I ordered it several times last year and the sandwich meal was the way to go. I suppose if they did remove it, I could just buy extra pieces of bread and a little tub of sauce and make it myself -- -- or just wait a couple of months until Raising Cane's opens up down the street. Passed by it this morning and it's looking real close, but anything less than open is just not close enough. Joshua, who usually writes from the heart, but this time is writing from his stomach.

When you renew at the park, keep your receipt and bring with you the first time you visit the renewed season. Just a precaution, but I have heard horror stories of passes not showing up as renewed in the past.

I'm curious about the Chicken Shack. Does this mean I can't get the sandwich meal -- which was essentially the same thing, except the toast is used as bread -- as part of the meal plan? The reason I ask is because the description on what they offer at the Dining page is "Fresh hand-breaded chicken tenders, salads, wraps, all served with our signature sauce." No mention of the sandwich meal there either. So I wonder if it's generically lumped with the standard offering or if it's simply not being carried at all this year.

What I couldn't live without is Kings Island, La Rosa's, Cheese Coneys* from Skyline and Gold Star, and my friends and family. I'm not a sports fanatic, so the football thing doesn't phase me one bit, the MU/OSU rivalry drives me insane, my aggressive sinus problems resulting from the bipolar weather are really taxing on my fortitude, and aside from the aforementioned coneys, replacing the sweet sauce of traditional, beautiful, savory spaghetti with chili, any kind of chili, is just pure sacrilege. Living in Ohio my entire life, I've also never heard of a "Polish Boy*," but it looks like some kind of garbage monstrosity that Oscar the Grouch concocted from his own humble abode after he got the munchies. In other words, the sight of it makes me wanna hurl. *capitalized in case of trademark.

I really don't see the big deal about having to capitalize trademarks. For one thing, text-talk, outside of personal texting and private messaging, is the cyber version of having your butt-crack sticking out. But, beyond that, you're not being asked, nor forced at gunpoint for that matter, to spell every word correctly nor use pitch-perfect grammar. All you have to do is spend a couple of extra seconds capitalizing and correctly typing specific ride names and brand names. That's all. Besides, it's always a good practice to go through, re-read, and tidy up anything you post to the general public, just as you would a resume, report, or an article/blog you're writing, simply on the principle that this is your reputation you're putting out there for all to see. If you don't think these things matter, well then here's an example of how capitalization matters to context. "I need Coke" implies that you want a nice, ice-cold, refreshing beverage. "I need [c]oke" implies that you need to go to rehab, asap! "I like to ride The Beast" means "You like to ride the roller coaster;" "I like to ride (t)he (b)east" means, well, hehe, what you like to do in your spare time is none of my business.

Plus, Fast Lane and Fast Lane Plus is not included with any of the season passes. So, having paid for our entry prior to the season, we might be tempted to spend money towards them. And, as has been previously pointed out, with the price of the meal out of the way, you might be enticed to spend that money elsewhere, on beverages, snacks, stuffed animals, lockers, shirts, etc. But while I haven't completely experienced what Magenta Lizard is describing, I understand the feeling and I can see where additional restrictions can illicit such feelings. I understand and fully respect the concept of having house rules. However, you paid for certain benefits, you should feel that you get those benefits with a smile, not reluctance. After all, they were offered by the establishment and you did pay for them. Though not completely a game changer for some, these new restrictions will be for others and, frankly, there might not be such a fuss if the newly designated times avoided peak dining hours -- or at least, gave the impression of having more freedom -- and if the new restrictions weren't quietly incorporated into the site, without openly addressing them.

I love these photos! Up until now, I had never seen what this thing looked like.

Anyone see Dining Plan Plus in the foreseeable future?

Good points all around. I still want to try this out, but I think the original rules were better. Technically speaking, it's not like you're getting "free meals." You just paid for a certain amount of meals up front, whether you went with the Single Meal, All Day, or All Season dining options. While the windows aren't too grueling and gap between meals can now be two hours -- that is if you eat at 2:30 and then again at 4:30 -- it just seems odd that to pay what you're paying for it, that it becomes so restrictive, which also makes one fearful of future restrictions. Another thing is that not everybody who purchases one of these plans is a member here nor keeps up with every little detail on the official site. So, imagine what's going to happen when people, having seen the original rules when they bought it, show up at 3, starving as all get out, low on blood sugar, and agitated that a 15 year old cashier said, "Sorry bro, you can't use this." I guess the gamble is that person who, in his head, had bought this meal months ago and was, financially speaking, entitled to, will then impulsively buy it. Something tells me, that won't always be the case. (Never mind the fact that, according to that "subject to change" nonsense, he purchased the plan expecting to get Chicken Shack, the Shack could theoretically now deny him that chicken-y goodness without a moment's notice. Though, I suspect that restriction will more likely barricade places like Skyline.)

I've honestly been expecting that for a while now and wouldn't be terribly surprised if that happened within a decade or even sooner. I can't say whether I feel it would be a good thing or a bad thing. On one hand, losing Timberwolf would be yet another piece of the park's history gone. However, if it no longer carries it weight, then perhaps the park could benefit from using the space for something else, besides storage and collecting cobwebs when not used for Spirit Song.

Thanks for the enlightening article, Ride On! I went to both Geauga Lake and Sea World Ohio just a single time in the early 90s. For whatever reason, I took the time to read some of the comments and a couple of the posts there were pretty enlightening as well, depicting operational woes under Six Flags' management, both within the more recent commenters on the final page of the article.

I believe they also played a cue from Charles Bernstein's atmospheric score for A Nightmare on Elm Street.