JTR

I have no real grievances with Kentucky Kingdom this year (so far). Even now that business has picked up for the summer, the place stays clean, the riff-raff are kept in line, and the waits are decent. The staff on some rides and in some restaurants could use customer service training, but that's Louisville for you. One thing I'd love to see them do is more strategic landscaping along the park boundaries. Inside, everything is pretty. Look beyond the fence, and in most spots it looks like a junkyard or barren wasteland. It's certainly not the park's fault, but it would be nice if they kept it hidden a little better.

The park was pretty packed today! I've never parked so far back at KK. Thanks to the hot weather, most folks were in the waterpark. Short lines for the rides!

Last year, it was hit and miss on weekends. Lines were never ridiculous on the days I visited, though. I don't know what impact Storm Chaser will have, but the pre-season weekend crowds have been pretty manageable.

Haven't posted here in a long, long time, so hello again! I've seen a lot on here about the KK location. Specifically, people are concerned about safety, and maybe park demographics. I hope I can shed some light as a longtime resident and park regular. Regarding the relative safety of the area around the park: it's pretty safe, but it isn't cute. It's an older park of town that hasn't seen much love in recent decades. It's also right by the airport and very close to University of Louisville, so you have a diverse mix of neighbors. It is definitely not a white picket fence kind of area. That said, if you're brave enough to drive to the Cincinnati Zoo, you needn't be nervous about this particular part of Louisville. It's not an area most natives would warn you about. Demographics of the park should be concerning for anyone who bothered with the place during the Six Flags era. I actively avoided the park from 1999 until last year for this very reason. (Plus the rides were always closed.) Six Flags catered to gangs, hoodrats...anyone who could pick up a Coke can off the street, really. It wasn't a neighborhood issue so much as a complete lack of management and access only limited to those who couldn't afford a bus ride. This seems to be corrected now. My experiences last year and this year have been much better. Cops and security are quite present in the park, and I've witnessed more than one instance of ride operators having rude teens ejected for bad behavior. There will always be Louisville's unique brand of redneck present in the park, but the higher cost of admission (as cheap as it is, it's more than a Mountain Dew can) has reduced that population considerably. It also helps that they typically can't ride the new coasters. I'm assuming most of you live near KI. I can't say KK is absolutely worth the drive when you have such a robust park nearby. Lightning Run and Storm Chaser are two of the best coasters I've ridden, and Thunder Run is swell, but T3 is nothing to write home about. If you just need a day in another city, then it's a nice, budget-friendly option. If you're looking for a vacation experience, Orlando is about 12 hours south.

I don't know why SeaWorld is being targeted. It seems entirely wrongheaded on the part of the protesters. Unlike your typical zoo, SeaWorld has A LOT of money. They won't be taken down easily. And unlike your typical zoo, SeaWorld's animal enclosures are state of the art and well maintained. Animal rights protestors would be more effective targeting small- and medium-sized zoos. Not only are they easier to handle, they often don't have the funds to upgrade older exhibits and only do so when they must meet new minimum standards for accreditation. Not saying these zoos are "bad," they just don't have the same resources as a SeaWorld or larger zoo. I'm sure the extremists behind the SeaWorld attack know that their chances of actually shutting down a park or leading SeaWorld to release their Orca population to the wild (very inhumane idea) are slim-to-none; they're wasting a bunch of people's time and obfuscating their own point in the hopes that they might get a flashy win for their organization. Meanwhile, there are animals in much worse conditions that they could actually be helping.

Should KK some time in the future expand its boundaries, which it very well could unless the fair board finds some other means of generating income, then it will definitely become a competitive force that will put pressure on KI. Not a bad thing, and I hope it happens. As it stands, I can see KK maybe taking a bite out of other family venues--The Louisville Zoo comes to mind--and Holiday World. Is there anything going on with Beech Bend? That park will have to make a pretty dramatic move to pull Louisville attention away from KK, KI and HW. I think even Dollywood generates more buzz than Beech Bend in the ville. That's just my experience; I may just not know any Beech-going folks.

I was worried that King's Island would start looking like a parking lot full of roller coasters, but I'm glad they've been tasteful and considerate with their additions so far. I love Cedar Point. It's a very straightforward coaster park. Minimal theming, functional infrastructure. I would never call the place pretty, though. King's Island has always had great rides, but it's also a place you can take a satisfying walk through. I'd hate for that to be lost for the sake of more coasters.

I think The Wizarding World of Harry Potter will have staying power even if the Harry Potter brand loses some steam simply because the world is so well realized and the rides are awesome. I do think they should stop after Diagon Alley, though. Too much is too much. As for Marvel Superhero Island, I would hate to see the Spider-man ride go, but this area of the park needs some reinvigorating. If they lose (or give up) Marvel, what might they replace it with? Are there any Universal properties that could warrant a new island? Regarding Avatar Land (sorry, I know I'm replying to all kinds of stuff in one post), I can't seem to get excited about this. I don't know anybody who is really looking forward to it, either. Avatar is clearly huge, but I don't know if it has a hardcore fanbase like Potter or Marvel, despite all the money its made. But then again, I'm not that fond of Disney, so maybe that's why I'm not feeling it.

Personally, I think KK and KI can coexist. Heck, they did for years, even with Six Flags doing their best to fail. I can say that, as a Louisvillian, I liked KK (pre-Six Flags) because it was local, it had decent rides for its size, and I was there in 10 minutes. I can maybe make it to KI two or three times in a season if I plan it well. KI is an event for me. On the other hand, I can hit KK any given day, ride a few rides, hop back in the car and be at the zoo before the gates close. I consider that a good thing! From what I've read, nobody involved with KK has any delusions of beating KI. KI is a totally different beast (hyuck, hyuck). Don't be putting words in my mouth, I did not imply such. I am just presenting the logic in the web searches. I have hopes for KK, I really do, but I don't pick sides before opening date. I won't even make such an conclusion untill the end of the season, or at least near the end. Like I said, I'm not picking sides, but I will be frequenting the park and I have high hopes for its success, just use logos while discussing this subject, and try, for the sake of your ethos, don't take a side. Sorry, I think we must have gotten our wires crossed here. I wasn't attempting to put word in your mouth, and I certainly didn't mean to make it sound like I was arguing. You asked if this was a David and Goliath situation, which to me sounded like you were seeking opinions on whether or not these parks will have to compete with each other. I'm of the opinion that neither park is a threat to the other, for reasons I've already mentioned. I didn't think you were taking sides, especially since I don't think there's a fight. 1. Rhetorical Question2. Of course they will! They are both in the near vicinity of HW, KI competes with HW and vice versa. KI competes with CP, roughly less to KK in vicinity and KI had a 2 park deal, so that idea that people commune that way can work inversely. If you look up that allusion, David defeats Goliath, David wins, Goliath falls; though, with that also it means a little guy vs big guy situation, which are unknown in any case. Rhetorical BB1, by the way, welcome to KIC. Seems a truly rhetorical question wouldn't generate controversy. I don't think you should assume that Kentucky Kingdom is attempting to compete with King's Island, especially since Hart has clearly stated that they will not. The two parks will have significant overlap--they always did--but, as I said, they don't necessarily attempt to meet the same needs. KK is a small, local amusement park whose demographic will be predominately locals and families who don't necessarily desire the Big Park experience. King's Island's demographic is...well, almost everybody. And if you look at KI's attendance during KK's operational years, there really is no "KK effect" there. Flip the script and you'll see that KK grew and maintained very respectable attendance up until the point when Six Flags decided to fail. This would suggest that these two parks have and will coexist peacefully. Now, KK vs. HW, there's where competition will be a factor. And I know the story of David and Goliath. Thanks for the summary, though. Again, I say there's no battle to be won or lost, so it's irrelevant.

Has anyone heard any rumors or news about the Twisted Twins revamp? If memory serves, they had budgeted a pretty significant amount for this project. I'm sad to say I only got a chance to ride these once, which was their opening year. They had the most uncomfortable seats I'd ever encountered to that point (but I must say, Tomb Raider stole that title! Ouch!). After that, it seemed like they were always closed. That was one of the things I hated about the Six Flags years. You plan to spend a significant part of your day at the park, only to find there's one coaster open and the line an hour long.

Personally, I think KK and KI can coexist. Heck, they did for years, even with Six Flags doing their best to fail. I can say that, as a Louisvillian, I liked KK (pre-Six Flags) because it was local, it had decent rides for its size, and I was there in 10 minutes. I can maybe make it to KI two or three times in a season if I plan it well. KI is an event for me. On the other hand, I can hit KK any given day, ride a few rides, hop back in the car and be at the zoo before the gates close. I consider that a good thing! From what I've read, nobody involved with KK has any delusions of beating KI. KI is a totally different beast (hyuck, hyuck). Don't be putting words in my mouth, I did not imply such. I am just presenting the logic in the web searches. I have hopes for KK, I really do, but I don't pick sides before opening date. I won't even make such an conclusion untill the end of the season, or at least near the end. Like I said, I'm not picking sides, but I will be frequenting the park and I have high hopes for its success, just use logos while discussing this subject, and try, for the sake of your ethos, don't take a side. Sorry, I think we must have gotten our wires crossed here. I wasn't attempting to put word in your mouth, and I certainly didn't mean to make it sound like I was arguing. You asked if this was a David and Goliath situation, which to me sounded like you were seeking opinions on whether or not these parks will have to compete with each other. I'm of the opinion that neither park is a threat to the other, for reasons I've already mentioned. I didn't think you were taking sides, especially since I don't think there's a fight.

Fair but just showing free buzz can be generated from media sitesSent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Which focus on major parks, and to some number, focus on KI rather than KK. Fair point, but shouldn't KK send news releases to news stations in Louisville and Lexington, maybe Frankfurt? No reporting done from any of these sites. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk I've seen reporting via local news pretty regularly. The Thunder Run event got quite a bit of attention, at least by Louisville standards. I'm still scratching my head over the lack of Lightning Run coverage. The news stations paid more attention to them tearing down Greezed Lightnin'. I'm sure they're just waiting until there's pretty construction site footage they can show the viewers. The huge turnout for the job fair had a fair bit of news coverage as I recall, but then I'm also seeking out KK information, which I'm sure not everyone is doing. Seeing how KK is more of a local attraction than a "destination," they probably don't see as much return on early advertising as a big park like KI would.

I forgot to mention, I news searched also. Sorry. First page results for "lightning run kentucky kingdom" brought up 5 results. "Banshee king's island" brought up 8, but also 21,200 total. So roughly twice that of the KK search. But Bing and Google never agree on anything.

Personally, I think KK and KI can coexist. Heck, they did for years, even with Six Flags doing their best to fail. I can say that, as a Louisvillian, I liked KK (pre-Six Flags) because it was local, it had decent rides for its size, and I was there in 10 minutes. I can maybe make it to KI two or three times in a season if I plan it well. KI is an event for me. On the other hand, I can hit KK any given day, ride a few rides, hop back in the car and be at the zoo before the gates close. I consider that a good thing! From what I've read, nobody involved with KK has any delusions of beating KI. KI is a totally different beast (hyuck, hyuck).

This is weird. I Binged "lightning run kentucky kingdom" and got 10, 600 results. I'm sure there's some junk in there, but it's definitely more than 11.