Mikewhy

I would say the entrance and International Street are already really nice! I hope all the white lights on the buildings are kept on. I noticed last year at times that the lights on some buildings were on while they were off on others, and it drove me nuts. How hard is it to keep them either all on or off? If they keep those lights on and use the enhanced lighting on the Eiffel Tower all year, International Street will look better than ever! (Too bad there is not much that is "international" about it anymore...)

I have ridden the Vekoma flyers X-Flight, Borg Assimilator and Batwing. Of the three, I liked X-Flight the best and found it to be the smoothest. Borg and Batwing was not too bad, but did have a little rattling and shaking in places. I personally find the restraints to be less than enjoyable on these coasters though. If the trains are stacking and you are laying on your back for too long, it gets rather uncomfortable, and when turned around the other way you feel a little too loose for my liking (although I am told some people love this sensation, so it is a matter of taste.) I have also ridden B&M's Superman Ultimate Flight at both Six Flags Great America and Six Flags Over Georgia. I vastly prefer the B&M trains and restaints, which I find so much more comfortable and reassuring while in flight. I also find the ride to be smoother than the Vekoma ones. I do think the Vekoma flying coasters have a more interesting layout, although I do love the huge pretzel loops on the B&Ms. I think X-Flight will be a huge hit for PKI, although to be honest, I still wish we were getting something from B&M or Intamin. But oh well, this will still overall be an exciting new addition. I hope they paint it well and make the new area it is in look good!

I agree with this, but still... I can't help but wish Kings Island had at least one modern B&M or Intamin coaster of some kind. I love the coaster collection at KI, but without even a modest B&M or Intamin, it just seems the park is missing something in the coaster department. They don't need to install a $25 million hyper or anything like that. Just something modest that represents the current state of the art in steel coaster development. (Like a small B&M inverted or floorless.) I findly remember when Kings Island was known for coasters that were state of the art at the time they came out (Racer, Beast, Bat, Vortex, King Cobra, Flight of Fear...) X-Flight (if we get it) will likely mean it will be even longer before we get such a coaster. X-Flight is nice (I have ridden X-Flight, Borg Assimilator and Batwing and definitely like X-Flight the best of all three.) But I still find the restraints on X-Flight to be a little uncomfortable and my back was rather soar after lying flat on that Vekoma train. It is fun but still a little crude if you ask me. I always found the B&M flyer trains to be so much more comfortable. I know we can just drive north to Cedar Point for modern steel coasters, but I miss when Kings Island was that kind of destination... This is not a serious complain, just wishful thinking. I understand current budget realities and I do like the ideal of Kings Island focusing more on the family. I know we will have many great things to look forward to. But a truly modern or smooth steel coaster would really be nice one day...

I also would have preferred the older logo from before Paramount. But this one is not bad if it is the real one. But I agree with the others who think it is a temporary thing. We shall see!

Well, I love Top Gun also, but yes, The Eagles are my main reason. I love the ride and the history behind it! It is only an 8 hour drive where I live, so it is not too bad, and Carowinds is a fun park in general. So yes, I take yearly trips there! If you are going to do that, drive another 80 miles and go to PKD & BGE. PKD has the Eagles, and is a OK park, BGE is a terrific park and well worth the drive by itself. I have also been to PKD and BGE and love both parks! The Eagles at PKD are REALLY nice, but I still prefer the ones at Carowinds more. And BGE is one of my all time favorite parks!

I miss: Enchanted Voyage (the original from 70's/early 80's) Flying Eagles Getting rid of the Eagles was one of the worst decisions the park ever made, and to this day makes no sense to me whatsoever... They did not need that land at all. They got rid of a flat ride just for the heck of it or to save Carowinds some money. I take yearly treks to Carowinds so I can still ride this amazing flat ride... Part of the soul of Kings Island was removed along with the Eagles.

I now understand and thanks for the clarification.

I assure you I read it very carefully, and without further clarification, it was NOT readily apparent if the announcement dealt with the park or PKIC. The original announcement said that something exciting was coming, but was not to be announced yet for fear of taking wind away from the park, and then it said look for an announcment from PKI marketing. If the announcement ONLY had to do with PKIC, why mention taking wind away from the park and why wait for marketing people at PKI to announce anything? Does PKI marketing always make announcements about changes at PKIC? Either the announcement is mentioning two different announcements (one from PKI and one from PKIC), or their is one announcement and they involve something about BOTH PKIC and PKI. It is not obvious the way it was originally worded which one it was. Later posts seem to imply it is 2 different announcements. In any case, I look forward to the announcement!

If the big announcement that is going to be made is on a PKIC level and not a PKI level, then why does the announcement read: If the big announcement is about PKIC, then why would an early announcement of it "take any wind away from the park" and why are we asked to stay tuned to the marketing staff of PKI? Unless PKIC is somehow becoming a part of PKI, then I do not understand how the announcement could be about PKIC alone...Unless I am not reading those words correctly...

The old Flying Dutchman ride from PKI is still at SFKK. I watched people on it at Kentucky Kingdom just 2 weeks ago!

I respect anyone who is following the rules and that incident should not have happened. At the same time, I can site from personal experience dozens of experiences where smokers are not following the rules. One Saturday alone early this year I experienced smokers near me in line for Son of Beast, Flight of Fear, White Water Canyon, The Beast and Top Gun. I also had people smoking in the outdoor dining areas near the French Fry place in Rivertown, on International Street and pretty much everywhere in the Action Zone. In line for Son of Beast (this was before it closed) I asked a teen aged boy not to smoke because it was both illegal and making me ill. He glared at me but did put it out. But when I left the line, it turns out this kids mother comes up to me and chews me a new one, telling me that I had no right to tell her son to put out his cigarette. She was mean and abusive. That same day, I asked a man who was smoking during the parade to please walk over to the nearby smoking area. He was actually polite and nice about it, but then his wife unloaded into me, saying I had no right to make her husband stop smoking. This all happened ONE DAY. So yes, in those cases, those smokers WERE the bad guys. And in those cases, I was NOT in the smoking areas complaining about the smoke. PKI's "smoke-free" envionment is a joke. They make no attempt to enforce it, and if you want to smoke, you can do so anywhere with few or no reprimands. I have seen people buying food from a street vendor with a lit cigarette and the employee selling the food does not say a thing. In line for Avatar in Nick Universe, I actually heard a young girl complain to her mom about the smoke, and we were NOT near a smoking area. Smoke free environment indeed.... But I will say again, when I see smokers using the smoking areas I am grateful and appreciative.

I hope they enforce it, because PKI DOES NOT! I have been to parks that allow smoking that were less smoky than PKI! Good news about the zoo though!

But is that CP's doing or Intamin's? (I honestly do not know) It is Intamin's fault. Their restraints are very restrictive and not very forgiving for larger people. Then there was an incident a few years ago where a large person fell off the Superman Ride Of Steel coaster at Six Flags New England and died, and since then the Intamin belts are even smaller in an effort to keep larger people off the ride for safety's sake. While I admire their dedication to safety, I have to wonder why Intamin can not design restraints that will safely accommodate larger guests. If you have ridden any of the B&M hypercoasters like Goliath at SFOG, you will see that those restraints can safely hold larger guests with no problems at all. Then again I always prefer the B&M restraints... (And it is not always fat or overweight people who can not fit. I have seen large muscular football players told they are too large to ride on Millenimum Force and they are not in anyway unfit...)

I happen to be 225 lbs and 6 foot tall and I do fit on Millenium Force, but it can be close. There is definitely hope for you. It does depend, as others say, on how you wear the weight. Good luck!

I have been to Geauga Lake several times in the last two years and I really love it there. I think some of the criticisms are overly harsh if you ask me. Cedar Fair have really improved the place, and they have a great selection of coasters! I also think the park continues to improve in looks and operation. It is not perfect yet, something the park itself admits. But they are well on their way. The new waterpark is beautiful, and Dominator is one of the best coasters in Ohio! I read a post here from someone who had they had headbanging on Dominator and that they found the restraints on x-Flight to be comfortable. I have to wonder if they rode the same coasters I did! I had zero headbanging on Dominator, and found the restraints and seats on X-Flight to be extremely UNCOMFORTABLE, although I loved the ride itself. B&M Flying coasters are much more comfortable than the Vekoma ones like X-Flight! Now, I did notice this year that while Dominator had no headbanging, the coaster did have an odd shaking in places that felt wrong for a B&M coaster. Perhaps it needs new wheels or something? However, I found that the further you sat in the back, the smoother the ride was. I love this coaster! In any case, there never was any headbanging when I rode it. I also read negative comments about SFKK on here. I found that SFKK was 200% improved this year in many ways. From better ride ops, more dedication to stopping smoking (which simply does not exist at PKI), and a better appearance overall. PKI is of course far better, but I think SFKK gets the most improved award this year, at least during the first half of the season. I will say though that Geagua Lake really hurt themselves by not keeping the animals on the waterpark side. I think it would have been something that would have really made them stand out...But I do love the park and always enjoy myself there. It does not matter to me about the rerides. I need the exercise anyway! (The manager there told me that the reride police has to do with the counts they have on the coasters. They want to the counts to be as high as possible, and that is why they do not allow rerides.)

Actually, like the smoking ban, the limitation on where you can take your alcohol is not often enforced as far as I can tell. I have been to Kings Island many times this year, and I always see people carrying their beer around the park (away from the authorized areas), often with a cigarette in the other hand. These bans and limitations are good intentioned, but unless they are enforced, they really are useless IMHO. Of course I can not blame some smokers for not knowing... it is almost impossible to find the so called smoke-free environment in the park map... it is buried in one of the general behavior paragraphs. Unless you are really paying attention, there is no way to know that the park is smoke free. And the announcements they play are not something most guests can even hear over the speakers...

I agree with this logic completely. With the closing of all those passive attractions, it did change the nature of Kings Island and made it harder for Winterfest to continue. Very wise post! I was one of the few who enjoyed the event and did not feel the money was unreasonable. But I knew many did feel it was overpriced. I will miss the event strongly and hope it returns on day...

What widespread incidents are you referring to? There have been two deaths on Mission Space out of Millions of rides... That does not sound widespread to me.. although they are still sad and tragic.

I like and agree with many of the points in your post Ryan. I will still have to disagree about the fast food thing in that I am concerned about direct consequences. Smoking causes people who do not want to inhale smoke to do so, while eating fast food does not force anyone at all to eat it who choose not to. Also, smoke in any quantity is unhealthy, while fast food in low amounts or strict moderation does not really harm you. That being said, I do agree that the terrible diets most Americans have do have severe long term effects that does harm society as a whole. But I still say people will be more offended if you ask them to throw away their hamburger than their cigarette, no matter how you phrase it! I also agree that many people are not aware of the smoking rules. But they do announce it frequently and I know I always hear it when I am there. Plus, I am surprise so many people do not take 30 seconds to scans the rules on the map. I always do so when I enter the park the first time that year to make sure I am following the rulesand am aware of any changes for the new season. I guess it is utopian though for me to expect others to do the same though! I would just be happy to see employees who are not busy doing more important things like staffing the rides simply remind people politely about the rule. That would go a long way to helping. For example I see people buying things from the little carts on International Street and they are smoking right in front of the employee ringing up their sale. That seems like an obvious time to remind them. I have seen this many times this year so far. I agree that smokers and non-smokers do not have to be enemies here. I have several friends who smoke, and they are always gracious about not doing it around me. And I also realize there are hundreds of smokers who ARE following the rules, and I appreciate that. Simply have KI enforce the rule as much as is practical, and I will be happy. The smoking policy will still be flawed because as you said, some of the smoking areas are in narrow areas of the midway. This could be mostly solved in the future by following the example of Holiday World. They have beautiful smoking areas, often away from the main walkways. They also have tasteful banners everywhere reminding people of the policy. Of the many times I have been to Holiday World, I have seen one violator all day. They definitely have the best pattern for other parks to follow. Yes, it is easy to avoid a smoker here and there who is violating the rules. But why should we let him or her do that? All the other smokers are obeying it, and it is not fair that some people feel they are above the rules. So while it is easy to avoid a person here or there smoking on the midway, the fact remains that they are violating park rules and should be reminded of them. I am sure they do not say it is okay if we let 5% of the people who shoplift get away with it. Rules are there for a reason, and no one should be exempt. Plus, if others see people smoking wherever they like, it could cause others to do so, and before you know it the smoking ban is ineffective and ignored. Of course, the smoking policy may be reversed since Cedar Fair have taken over. While that would greatly sadden me, I am impressed at how effective Cedar Point seems to be in keeping people from smoking in the lines. They have many more signs up with severe warnings about being ejected from the line if caught. That seems to help. I do hope they go non-smoking in the future.

Well I see there are those here who want to claim there are no negative consequences of breathing in second hand smoke. Well, I have my own study. I smell it, I get sick, that is a fact. That is the only "study" I need to worry about. Ask over 90% of doctors if it is healty to be around smoking and see what answer you get. While it is hard to cite a comprehensive study that proves a link between cancer and second-hand smoke, you have to be pretty dense to think that it is healthy to breathe in that smoke for any significant period of time. AT the VERY least, the smell is horrible and it is rude to subject anyone to it without their permission. Add in the fact that some people really are allergic to it, and that astmatic people can suffer, and it is clear that policy to limit smoking really is the polite thing to do. I have to say I get really irritated at people for defending this habit. A family park like KI should have a non-smoking policy so that it is controlled and that people who do not wish to have their air polluted can enjoy the park. It is not like the park is telling smokers to NOT smoke in the park at all. They just have to find a designated area. And to be honest, they are everywhere at Kings Island. You would have to be pretty simple-minded to not find such a designated area in about 10 seconds from anywhere in the park. As for people around you eatring fast food and such, that does not irritate and damage the health of the people around you, so claiming that we must stop people from eating McDonalds as well as from smoking is not the same thing. That comparison is made all the time and it is not logical. Smoking smells foul, makes my eyes water, causes me to cough, leaves a digusting odor on my clothes, even when encountered outside, and can cause my asthma to act up in a matter of seconds. I have the right to not have to beathe that crap when I am enjoying the parks. I rather resent people getting upset at my reaction to smoking and calling me hyper-sensitive, rather than accepting the fact that smoking in a crowded public place can be rude and insensitive, especially when the park forbids it. I think having the smoking sections is a nice compromise. The only problem is, as others have stated, that it is not enforced at all. Of course a ride operator does not do the enforcement, but i have seen other employees just walking around and they do not enforce it either. As for politely asking people to put it out, that only works for me half the time. I would prefer that people take about 30 seconds to scan the park map for the rules and then follow them.

My girlfriend and I went to Kings Island on Saturday, April 29, 2006. It was not a full day trip for us, as we were there from 1:30 until closing at 8:00PM. But since we have a season pass, we sometimes go for shorter visits in between our all day visits. We wanted to check out the park for the first time in 2006 and specifically check out the new kids area, Nick Universe. We live in Louisville, Ky, but consider Kings Island our home park because it is a park I have been visiting for 33 years, since I was 6 years old. This park always fills me with nostalgia and a feeling I do not get at other parks, simply because it is a huge part of my history. The park was crowded as expected for a Saturday, but not as crowded as I feared. This could have been because of the threat of rain (which thankfully did not fall until after the park closed!) or because it is still early in the season. We did not ride too much this time because of the lack of time and the lines (most rides would take about 45 minutes to get on). We did ride The Beast, The Racer, Adventure Express, The Hanna Barbera feature at the FX Theatre, and Avatar: The Last Airbender in the new kids area. The Beast seemed to be running a little better than usual. We saw signs of some retracking, which likely helped with that. We had front row and really enjoyed the ride! We also had front row on The Racer. While I love this classic ride, the ride today was rougher than normal in spots. Adventure Express is one of the best mine train coasters out there, and I was glad to see most of the special effects and sound effects were working and loud on the ride. I felt a wave of nostalgia hit me when we saw the Hanna Barbera movie in the FX theatre. While I agree with the change over to Nick characters for today's kids, my childhood was dominated by the Hanna Barbera characters, and it is nice to see Kings Island acknowledge their past by showing this movie. I was really moved when I heard the music from the old Enchanted Voyage playing in the theatre as we were taking our seats and having our seat belts checked. ("Those happy friends who live in our TV.") Most of the younger people in there have no idea what that song was, but to me as a child, that Enchanted Voyage theme that played in the dark ride from 1972-1983 was THE theme song of Kings Island. To hear it again in the park in any form was a real thrill, and deeply moving to me. The movie itself featured Yogi and Boo Boo trying to save the Jetson's Elroy from Dick Dastardly and his dog Muttley. They chased the villians through the worlds of the Jetsons, The Flintstones, and Scooby Doo. It was great fun! The new Nickelodeon Universe is stunning, and should ensure that Kings Island has the best kids area for a long time to come. Amanda and I loved all the bright colors, and while many of the attractions only had a name change, we were surprised at how the ride vehicles for some of them were changed to a Nick theme. Blue's Skidoo, which used to be the old plane ride, was completely adorable with its new dog cars, as were the newly remodeled trains used on La Adventura de Azul. The new rides were all well done and compelling. The whole place looked shiny and new with all the newly painted colors, and was a pleasure to walk around in. The children there looked like they were having a blast! Avatar is a complete hit, and a nice, really different ride. We waited an hour for it, and it was well worth it. It is far more intense then I thought it would be. We were lucky to be on the outer row on the edge, and at times it was amazing how dizzying and exicting the ride was. I was also impressed how long the ride lasted, although I know this hurts capacity. This is a refreshingly different and exciting ride that kids and adults will love, and I applaud PKI for building it! They do seem to be having some technical issues with it. When we arrived no one was in line and the maintenance crew was working on. Then later after our ride, the platform that rises would not come up and we were stuck on the ride for about 15 minutes after our ride. We did not mind, and they eventually got it fixed. I was impressed at all the staff that came and asked us if we were okay and apologized for the delay in getting off. They handled the breakdown with professionalism and class, and that was good to see. I would like to see more shade and more landscaping in the newer section of Nick Universe. If I had any criticism of it, that would be it. (The gravel under Avatar is a clear example!) I know they had to rush just to get the area ready for the new season, and so I did not let that bother me too much. I hope they add more landscaping later, although the kids having the time of their life there did not seem to care! Other positives for the day were the louder music in International Street and the lights on the buildings, which were added for Winterfest and are being turned on at night all season long now. I really like these changes! It was terrific to see the fountains going again as well. They had been out of action since Fearfest started, and I-Street is not the same without them. (While I love Winterfest, it is sad that International Street has to do without the fountains all October as they prepare for it.) Kings Island has the best opening area of any park in the nation, and I it seemed even better now! Other positives include a much better map this year, great food, a diverse selection of rides (although too many flats have been allowed to leave the park) and that great Kings Island atmosphere! I do have some negatives to share. I think some of them still have to do with the season being new, and the fact that all the resources of the park have been justifying tied up in finishing Nick Universe. So I will be sure to return many times to see if some of these are fixed/changed. I really love Kings Island, even with its faults or problems. So when I mention my negatives below, know that I am not harshly criticizing the park, but just wanting it to be the best it can be. I will always be supportive of Kings Island. (I also know the park is being sold, and that could have various affects on operations this year.) I continue to applaud Kings Island's no smoking policy, however the lack of enforcement makes the rule almost useless. While I did see some very polite smokers making use of the smoking areas, I saw many people blantantly smoking all throughout the park. I twice reminded people about the policy, but they just stared at me and continued smoking. The park did make announcements every once and a while, but for some reason the annoucements were very low and hard to hear in most areas of the park. I also saw people smoking while in lines getting food, and the employees did not say anything to them even though they were smoking right in front of their face! As the day progressed, the number of smokers grew. I even saw a little girl in line for the Avatar ahead of people put her head in her shirt and tell her mom she hated the smell of smoke, which was coming from a smoker on a bench on a walkway near the Avatar queue line (which was not a smoking area.) The park either needs to do something about this, or just abandon the rule because it is being ignored and laughed at by some patrons. Really, all they would need to do is 1) Make sure the announcements are louder and easier to hear, 2) put up more signs announcing the policy. Holiday World does this and it is very effective and 3) Have employees politely enforce it by telling people. I have seen some employees at other parks whose job it is to walk around, greeting people, helping them take pictures, giving them directions, and politely reminding people about the rules. It would be a simple thing that would at least help. I did notice the prices of food and drinks going up, but that does not bother me too much as I know that is just the way it is. But it will be interesting to see what effect Cedar Point's *lowering* of prices has on this trend in the industry. Also, one thing did happen to us which was a little petty. We bought a whole pizza and some drink that came to $30 in the Pizza place on International Street. However, when we asked for paper plates, were told we could not have any! After spending $30 for pizza and such, it seems like a request for two plates would not be unreasonable. They eventually did give us these really tiny plates. but unlike the bigger ones they have, they were not large enough to even hold a slice! Little things like this can make a different in how people perceive the park. Also, I noticed that the park was not as nicely landscaped in other areas the way it usually is. The floral clock and calendar were empty, and the topiaries they have sitting around the park were no where to be seen. I hope this is because it is early in the season and all resources have been given to Nick Universe. I will see if the landscaping improves later in the year. There were some nice flower displays here and there and the park did look very clean to me. Next, while some of the employees were nice and personable, others were at best indifferent. The ones working the ice cream part of the Happy Days diner seemed downright annoyed at us for ordering. They looked overworked trying to keep up with all the orders, but still it was kind of sad that by ordering you felt like you were doing something wrong! (I alos noticed some families that waited at the counter for over 10 minutes, were ignored, and then they left without ordering.) Other employees in the park were super nice, including the crew at Avatar, the workers helping to keep the chairs and tables straightened up on International Street, and several others. Despite those criticisms, I loved my day at Kings Island and will be making many trips there this year!

If I worked there I could see myself doing the same thing!

Nice trip report! Interestingly, I visited Carowinds for the very first time this year, while I have visited PKI yearly for a long time. I really enjoyed Carowinds and wish intensely that Kings Island had the B&M Top Gun that you have! The Phatom Flyers that you have at Carowinds actually had been at Kings Island previously as the Flying Eagles. We really miss that ride, and I enjoyed riding it when I visited Carowinds! Also I found the Runaway Reptar at Carowinds to be rougher than PKI's... All in all though, Carowinds is really impressive and I look forward to coming back. Thanks again for your great trip report. Glad you enjoyed PKI!

I actually really enjoyed Dollywood, and think it is one of the nicest parks out there! As for Opryland, there is debate about how profitable the park was when it closed. There is evidence that is was still doing well at the time they closed it. Even the current Gaylord owners say that the closing of Opryland was a mistake that they do not understand. (The people at Gaylord now are not the ones in power at the time that Opryland closed.) I am not nearly as critical of PKI as some on this board, but I do see room for improvement in the areas of landscaping, live entertainment, theming and as one person said above, all the little details that add up to make for a nice experience at the park. I thought the Kings Island of my youth (70's) did a better job with this. My family could not afford to go to Disney, but we did go to Kings Island every year and I always loved it. It was "my" Disney. The park does not seem as special now because many of those little details related to theming, landscaping and shows are not as well executed, although I have seen some improvement lately. (When I heard the lights on the I-street buildings added for Winterfest would be used during the regular season at night, I was very happy!) I will say though that PKI still has better atmosphere than most of the other parks out there. I still love the park, rank it in my top 3 parks, and appreciate the things that Paramount has done to keep the park going over the years. It is my hope the new owners will continue making improvements.

I was so happy to hear this! It will make International Street look so much better at night, and bring back memories.