JessicaC Posted July 8, 2007 Share Posted July 8, 2007 We are going to PKI in a couple of weeks with our kids and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on a decent place to stay for the weekend, something decent priced and decent looking. Also since we have never been to PKI before was looking for some answers on what kind of places there are to eat at the park, what kind of varity and what type of food do they have. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firehawk Freak Posted July 8, 2007 Share Posted July 8, 2007 There are many different places to eat at KI theres hot dogs, hamburrgers, chili dogs, ribs, and anything else you would want to eat I would go with cheese coneysvery good and one of the most affordable things to eat also if you would not like to pay for drinks you can ask for free cups of water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padfoot714 Posted July 9, 2007 Share Posted July 9, 2007 There are several Cincinnati based food locations throughout the park if you want to get some authentic Cincy food. Skyline Chili offers Hot Dogs with Cincinnati style chili and shredded cheese, LaRosa's pizza is a Cincinnati based pizza chain, Montgomery Inn barbecue is served at Wing Diner, and Graeter's Ice Cream is probably the greatest homemade ice cream you could ever have. There is also a Subway and a Starbucks in the park and a Panda Express in the Festhaus. Potato Works is a great place to get steak cut french fries. The park also offers typical fast food fare at various locations. Personally, I would recommend leaving the park to eat especially if you just want fast food. You can get your hand stamped when you leave to indicate you have already paid for admission. There is an Arby's, Burger King, Wendy's, McDonald's, Big Boy and a Skyline all at the Kings Mills/OH-741 exit off of I-71. These are all within 5 minutes of the park. There are also some sit-down family restaurants in the same area. The only drawback to this plan is that you will have to pay for parking again which is $10 so I'm not sure if this saves you money or not. Since I have a parking pass I don't have to worry about these things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted July 9, 2007 Share Posted July 9, 2007 You do not have to pay for parking again. Your receipt serves as your re-entry ticket.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avatar Posted July 9, 2007 Share Posted July 9, 2007 JessicaC I am always glad to see families going to KI for a few days for some special family time. We would often come over to Cincinnati and stay 1-3 nights to take in KI and other surrounding family activities. To be fair in answering your questions as for me to suggest a Hotel/motel/lodge I would need to know if your family was staying for just one night and if you will be going to other tourist destinations while there. Also are your children toddlers – teens – this also would make a difference to advice on hotel suggestions as well as food suggestions. When I see your response I will try to give you a few choices that we have found to be helpful for us. Example at this time of year all hotels near KI are around $90.00 -$120.00 for something decent for a family, but closer to downtown or northern Kentucky you can find hotels overlooking the river on weekend specials for around $75.00. It all just boils down to. 1 How long? 2 How old? 3 Other destinations? 4 What price range you are hoping for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomas Posted July 9, 2007 Share Posted July 9, 2007 i would recommend staying in a hotel in kentucky. Florence has cheap but nice rooms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JessicaC Posted July 10, 2007 Author Share Posted July 10, 2007 We will be going for 2 days at the park so 2 nights in a hotel. We are really going for my oldest who is 2 1/2 and the right size to ride the kiddie rides, plus he is in love with Blues clues ect. he could not be more excited about going. My youngest is just a infant. My toddler is pretty picky on what he eats , but I really dont want to have to get everyone back in the car and leave the park then come back after we eat, seems like more of a hassle than just paying the price to eat at the park. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hauntguy Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 Don't eat in the park, it's much too expensive. I would simply drive through Mason and find a simple restaurant (sp?) to eat at and save some money!!! Or, pack a cooler and tail-gate in the parking lot... makes for good family memories. -Hauntguy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhantomTheater Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 I usually stay in the Mason-Montgomery/Fields-Ertel exit. Close by, but a traffic nightmare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulak Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 Hello Jessica, We just returned from our first trip to KI. We stayed @ the Embassy Suites in Blue Ash and loved it! They offer an excellent made to order breakfast with any kind of eggs from omlets to scrambled to fried and so on. They also had bacon, susage, potatos and our daughters favorite pancakes (smores to be exact) also made to order. I prefered the pecan (yummy). they also had all the usuals muffins, bagles, fruit, drinks and so on. They have a nice indoor pool with a waterfall and a hot tub. They also have a sauna and hot tub. Also, what we enjoyed most was the suite itself. You have a seperated livingroom-bedroom. This was great for naps! Oh I almost forgot they have a pond in atrium filled with huge fish and turtles. The kids loved it! All this for a rate of $104. per night. This hotel is easily reachable off of 275 to reed hartman rd (sp?). Also only an easy 10 min if that drive to KI. It is located in an office building nice area kinda off the beaten path but we liked this because it was less congested. We ate @ Bubba Gumps in the park. It was a little pricy ($40.00 for the 4 of us) but tasty! The drinks were expensive. I forgot that water was free all you have to do is ask for a cup of water. That will save you big time. And as hot as it was on Saturday that was all we needed to drink. We also ate at La Rosas (outside of the park) and had an excellent stuffed pizza for $16.75 that we could not finish. I don't know if the prices in the park are the same @ LaRosas but if they are We will eat lunch or dinner there next time. We also had the blue ice cream. Awesome!!! Hope this helped. Have a great time! We sure did! Paula Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welchce Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 We also ate at La Rosas (outside of the park) and had an excellent stuffed pizza for $16.75 that we could not finish. I don't know if the prices in the park are the same @ LaRosas but if they are We will eat lunch or dinner there next time. LaRosa's in the park cost around $18 for a whole pizza I believe but I don't think they have the stuffed pizza at the park. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deb Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 Hi Jessica! My hubby and I took an impromptu trip to KI a few weeks ago and ended up staying the night. We went to every hotel in Mason, looking like idiots, until we found one that was reasonably priced. We ended up at the Ramada Limited, at the Mason Fields-Ertel exit, and it was $79 and tax. Plus it's about 10 mins from the park via the interstate. We used the map and went through Mason and up the back of KI, from the North, and got to see a great view of Mason. Also, esp with kids, the Wal-Mart is about 15 mins west of the Ramada on the same road as the ramada. As far as eating, the best price IN the park that we have found, was at the Nick Universe Central Grill. Everything COMES with fries. It was about $8 for a 1/4 lb burger with cheese and curly fries. My 5 year old is VERY picky (the burgers are grilled, so he wouldn't touch them) and he liked the fries. We took him on his birthday per his request. (trip report here). Also, if you like hot dogs, you can go to the Skyline Chili on International Street. It's got AC. And a chili dog with cheese is just under $2. Hope you guys enjoy your trip and find a great place to stay! deb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
screamslikeagirl Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 We stayed in Sharonville when we went. It wasn't too bad of a trip driving to the park. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avatar Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 Jessica C Sounds like you are really looking forward to seeing your young boy experiencing riding some of his favorite Nickelodeon Characters. Your response was 2 days and 2 nights so I will offer a couple options. First of all just let me say that if you are really just coming over for your little ones to spend time in Nickelodeon Universe and little time else where in the park. Then I think that you should only do 2 half days at the park and maybe having a nice dinner outside the park in the evening with your family for some quality quite relaxing time. You can always go back to the park for ice cream and fireworks if that is your family’s thing. Just my suggestion with the information you provided and it is only meant as a courtesy suggestion. Suggestion 1 Since your children are so young I do not believe that the hotel will matter that much if you are planning to just sleep there and your children are still just a bit too young to enjoy a pool at the hotel, especially since you would have Boomerang Bay available to you at KI. So I would just do a hotel search online and look for a price to fit your needs within 20-30 minuets from KI. I know it seems like a hassle to leave the park to get something to eat especially since your children are so young, but that is realistically even better reason for you guys to do so. Kids get over stimulated at the park and the quite time gives kids a chance to get away and recharge their emotions. As a parent too I know how bad it can get if kids get tired and them fight through their emotions. I believe this trip is for the whole family so please consider a small break and afterwards I believe you will realize how helpful it was for you guys to take the break and how easy it was without taking too much park time away. Suggestion 2 If you can afford a little more even if it was just for one night (second night). With your children being so young I would highly suggest the Great Wolf Lodge for your family. They are a full service hotel with food choices for every meal right in the lodge and is a short walk to KI main entrance. This way you would be able to come and go as you please even if you wanted a quick nap, your husband (?) could stay behind to enjoy the rides and would be able to walk back to the lodge to join back up with you when he was ready. The fact that they have a nice indoor water park is very appealing to parents with small children and it has been so hot this year, plus it rains during your planned trio you will still have plenty to do. They offer a special kids place to make crafts and as of late they have been doing a lot of pirate promotions of face paintings and pirate storytelling by the fireplace. I really don’t suggest GWL a lot but I truly think in your case (if you can) the Great Wolf Lodge offers your best option for a overall family vacation. Keep in mind that if you do go to GWL that you can use all the facilities at the Lodge until 10 PM of the day you check out. Good luck on planning and please let us know if we can further help you in any way. Also please consider doing a trip report when you get back so we all can hear about your families adventures. Have lots of fun!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DropZone99 Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 I recomend staying at the Kings Island Inn, or GWL. And when it comes to eating, i would leave the park and go to taco bell down the street. Hope you have a good time, and post a TR once you get back. =] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kman6 Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 The pizza at Larosa`s is better outside the park. I always go to the one in Lebanon. About a 5 min drive. Plus you get refills and a nice air conditioned break from the heat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JessicaC Posted July 11, 2007 Author Share Posted July 11, 2007 Thanks everyone for all the suggestions, Although I stated we were going for our son for the nick stuff, My husband and I also love Coasters. We have held season passes at CP for about 10 years and decided it was time to make it to a new park, new scenery. Thanks again for all suggestions and we will post a TR when we come back! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DropZone99 Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 Thanks everyone for all the suggestions, Although I stated we were going for our son for the nick stuff, My husband and I also love Coasters. We have held season passes at CP for about 10 years and decided it was time to make it to a new park, new scenery. Thanks again for all suggestions and we will post a TR when we come back! Yay, TR!!! =] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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