XGatorHead's KI Adventures

[XGatorHead 8904]

LOL everyone played along but bill... ha ha ha.

that picture is great guys. ha ha cant wait till next time we meet. Im sorry I didnt get to hang out with you more gator!

Bill did play along, but he was too early. By the time we got to where the camera is, he had already stopped posing.

I wish I could have hung out more too, but with me leaving in the middle of the day that was hard to do. Stupid other motorist and their backing into Mrs. Gator's car... Otherwise, I would have been there all day Saturday.

[XGatorHead 8904]

Sunday, May 24th: Memorial Day Weekend, ASA Action Sports and a Line Jumping Showdown

We knew we were going to KI at some point in the weekend, and we decided on Sunday because of the special events. After lunch at Waffle House, we arrived at the park at about 2:15, with me in my anti-line jumping shirt (this detail will become important later in the TR).

We made a quick stop by the half-pipe and saw the last bike rider do his thing. We then moved on to Viking Fury. After watching a long legged bird in the lake for about 10 minutes, we went for a ride in row 1, then another in row 14.

GatorGirl wanted to ride Backyardigans next. With it being muggy, we decided to fill up our cups with water from the drinking fountains at the front gate. While there, I saw Ryan and Dane and chatted with them awhile. Before heading to Backyardigans, we convinced GatorGirl that watching motorcycles jumping would be fun. After about 10 minutes of watching some very talented jumpers, GatorGirl decided she had enough. Then we ran into a traffic flow nightmare.

We had been watching the jumps from the front gate side of the barricades. The only way to get to Nick U was to go past Kings Island Theater towards Action Zone, around Festhaus past Viking Fury, down the remainder of International Street, all the way around Eiffel Tower and into Nick U at LBGC. What a roundabout way to have to get to the south side of the park.

After Backyardigans, we went to see Marty’s Party (which might actually be growing on me! ). We sat in the second row, right in front of the crate that opens up with the water cannons. We were ready to get wet! Saw Ryan and Dane again, then made our way to Atom Smashers, then Blue’s Skidoo.

They really need a “singles will be paired” policy on Blue’s Skidoo. We had to wait four cycles before she got on the ride because a majority of the riders were in the dogs by themselves. The cycle before GatorGirl rode was nothing but single riders. Don’t they know this severely cuts down their capacity?

And now the main event: The Line Jumping Showdown! In this corner, The Gator Family. And in the opposite corner, the line jumper, her seven kids and a completely unrelated guest who took up sides with the line jumper. After Blue’s Skidoo, we went to FOC. The end of the line was on the downward ramp on the loading side of the station. About three groups ahead of us was a group of seven kids, ranging in age from about 4 to 10 with no adult. One of the boys left the line, and not even a minute later a girl made her way past me to join the group. A one for one trade off, I was going to let it slide.

Shortly after the girl joined the group, an adult woman made her way past me to join the group of kids. I let this slide also, because I thought she would bring order to the group, who all wanted to ride together. She even made a point to say to them “I ain’t even tryin’ to get on dis ride.” When her group gets to the station, she lines them up in the appropriate queues for their seats. I line up behind a boy from the group for seat 2-2, Mrs. Gator and GatorGirl are in line for 2-1. In front of him are a woman in a white shirt and her daughter. The boy leaves the line to go towards the back of the train with the adult woman who had joined the group of kids. So I step up behind the woman in the white shirt, and my group is set to ride together.

As I’m standing in line for 2-2, the Line Jumping Woman puts the boy, who had left the line, in front of me. I said “Excuse me, I was in line here.” She said “He was in line in front of you.” I said “Well, he was, but then he left the line, so he’s not in line anymore.” She started raising her voice and said “He was in front of you all the way back there,” pointing towards the entrance ramp. I said “Yes, but he left this line, so I’m next in line now.” The White-Shirted Woman, who is first in line for 2-2, turns around and says to me, “Is this really something to raise your voice over? She’s just trying to get her group to ride together.” I again make the point that he left the line, so by getting in front of me he’s now cutting. I move into line for 3-2, Mrs. Gator and GatorGirl move to 3-1 as the two women continue to argue with me until White-Shirted Woman gets on the ride.

A man behind me says, “Yeah, she cut in front of all of us back there,” referring to the Line Jumping Woman. I agreed, and Line Jumping Woman, who was now in line herself for 5-2, started saying something again. I just hold out my hand in a “I’m not listening to you anymore/talk to the hand” gesture.

The next train pulls in and Line Jumping Woman gets on the ride with a kid (after she had made a point to say “I ain’t even tryin’ to get on dis ride.”). The man getting onto that train in 4-1 says to me, “You’re right, the kid wasn’t there.” I say thank you to him. Line Jumping Woman makes a comment on that, and it’s at that time that Mrs. Gator reminds me of what I’m wearing. I point to the “No Line Jumping” logo on the front of my shirt and say “No Line Jumping” to her several times. I then turn around and show her the “Line Jumping is Not a Sporting Event”. The guy in 4-1 says “That’s great!” and I smile and say “There’s a reason I wear this shirt!”

At this time I hear someone say “You’re still going on about this?” I look across the track, and there’s White-Shirted Woman standing on the exit ramp, waiting for the rest of her group who will be in 1-1 on my train. I said “Sure am!” She said, “Get over yourself.” I tell her “Sorry, I don't put up with line jumping.”

It’s at this time our train pulls in and we start loading. White-Shirted Woman says “If you don’t like it, why don’t you write a letter?” I say “To whom? To her?” and she says “No, the President of Paramount Kings Island” (that’s correct… Paramount without the “’s”). I said “That’ll be hard to do since it’s not Paramount anymore.” White-Shirted Woman says “You know, you’re a real jerk.” I smile at her and say “Thank you!” and she says “You’re welcome” back to me as we pull out of the station.

I have pretty much made it my mission this year to call out line jumping when I see it. Call me a jerk, ***hole or whatever you want, I will not put up with it. Never in my life would I even dream that someone would actually side with a line jumper like White-Shirted Woman did. There were several people who sided with me, but they were not nearly as vocal as I was, and I can’t really blame them because it wasn’t their fight.

I looked over at the ride ops several times during the showdown, and they were looking at us, wide-eyed. But that wonderful () FOC crew did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to step in and mediate the situation. They were well aware of what was going on. There was no way that they could not be with as loud as the three of us were carrying on, and with me leaning over the gate pointing to my shirt saying “No Line Jumping”.

I was just waiting for White-Shirted Woman to say something about how I was conducting myself in front of my daughter (I found out later that Mrs. Gator was waiting for that too). She never said it, but I was prepared with a response. For the record, I did not use profanity, I did raise my voice a little bit but did not yell, and I stood my ground. I feel I conducted myself just fine. I want GatorGirl to learn how to stand up for herself, and to learn that sometimes in order to stand up for yourself you have to speak up and be heard. I want her to learn right and wrong, and that when you see something wrong, take action and do something about it. And that's what I feel I displayed in front of her.

Looking back, the sad thing is this whole situation could have been avoided very simply. If Line Jumping Woman had said to me something to the effect of “Excuse me, do you mind if he gets back in line in front of you?”, I would have been perfectly fine and more than happy to oblige. But as it was, the boy left the line in front of me to go back to where she was, and she pushed him back in front of me after a period of time had passed. How was I to know that he wasn’t riding with her, or with someone else in the group in another seat? Was I supposed to automatically save his place in line? I don’t think so.

So thanks to the inaction of the FOC crew, the score so far this year is Line Jumpers: 1, Gator: 0.

After the Showdown at FOC, we did a lot of other things in Nick U then headed over to Festhaus to catch Down Home Country. Along the way I heard someone call my name, I look up and there’s Avatar. Sorry I didn’t stop to talk… I was distracted by my phone and by trying to get to the show! Mrs. Gator & GatorGirl had a slice of pizza each during the show. The show itself was pretty good, but I think I liked Girl’s Night Out a little better.

GatorGirl fell asleep during the show, so we saw it as the perfect opportunity for Diamondback! Mrs. Gator hadn’t ridden it at all yet, so she went first. The queue line was listed as a 45 minute wait, and the SRL was closed but there was a line forming for it. What they were doing was letting a line form, then pulse people through once the SRL got low enough near the station. I think I noticed the ride op standing out there pick up the phone right before each time she opened the SRL. It seemed to work pretty well.

Mrs. Gator got in line and 15 minutes later she was walking down the exit. She loved it (of course) and wanted to immediately ride again. But she was gracious enough to let me have a turn. It took me about 20 minutes in the SRL. As I was in the station, I wave to Mrs. Gator who’s waiting outside the entrance. GatorGirl had woken up, and she waved back to me. As I was going up the lift, I turned around and waved to them again, and GatorGirl was smiling and waving, watching me go up.

As I exited, I signaled to Mrs. Gator to go inside to see my ORP. I had my hands behind my head with my eyes closed. They pulled it up on the screen at the counter and I said to GatorGirl, “Look, I fell asleep on the ride!” She laughed and said “No you didn’t!” Mrs. Gator wanted to ride again, so while she got in line I took GatorGirl to Scrambler. We were just getting off the ride when Mrs. Gator came by, so probably a total of 20 minutes had passed. Hurray for the SRL!

After Scrambler we all rode Monster, then spent 20 nickels in the arcade on skeeball and the chicken game, then Carousel and Eiffel Tower. While we were up on ET, Collective Soul was onstage at Timberwolf playing “December”. Next was LBGC, another ride on FOC (without incident this time) then Phantom Flyers. We got off that at 9:45, and we had just enough time to get ice cream and get to our fireworks viewing spot.

While in line for some yummy blue ice cream, I talked to keiko_coaster (who had spent most of the night in First Aid), Justin_M17, pkiruler and another person who I didn’t recognize (if I met you before, sorry I don't remember your name!). Pkiruler said that he would have liked me to join them for his first night ride on DB, but we had ice cream to eat and fireworks to watch.

We got to our usual slab of concrete between ET and BLSC, and there was a family already there. So we sat on the other side of it and enjoyed our ice cream. GatorGirl loved the pyro skydivers, and as usual she just loved the fireworks. They were, in her words, “Beautiful”. A good ending to an interesting day.

[Justin_M17]

Sounds like you guys had a lot of fun despite the Line Jumper fiasco.

[Avatar]

Hey Gator no need to apologize about not stopping I can tell when a fellow member is on a mission from their speed walking and determined look on their face, after all i had family with me too Sunday. Sorry to hear about your your ordeal at FOC, I hope the line jumpers kids learn a early lesson and resit doing it in their future, just do me a favor though please do not listen to the song "I Shot The Sheriff" before you visit the Nickelodeon Universe area (just do want you to get any ideas). I enjoyed the update as i have your past updates.

[The Interpreter]

Gator...nice report, but I think you meant Memorial Day weekend...Labor Day is in September, at least it is in other park chains!

I continue to remain stunned at the park employees who completely ignore linejumpers. It's being reported here on a semi-regular basis, and that's sad. Very sad.

[Justin_M17]

It happened when I was riding Flight of Fear with a PKIruler102 and PKIrulersdad102 (I think that's the right name...). A little girl ran from the exit, passed directly in front of a ride operator at a distance of less than one foot, and ducked under the rail to get into the line for the rear car. This shows one of two things: An unrealistically high level of incompetence by Cedar Fair when training employees, or an excess of apathy from said employees.

Justin, thinking it's the latter of the two.

Sorry for hijacking your post, Gator. I'll shut up now

[Hoeter]

XGatorHead, sorry to hear about the whole line-jumping fiasco. As Terpy stated two posts above, instances of line-jumping is reported here on KIC on a semi-regular basis and it is very sad that employees permit it to happen. Action needs to be taken, and it needs to be brought to the attention of the higher-ups at Kings Island and Cedar Fair for that matter. So far this season, I've seen way too many things occur that is against park policy within eyeshot of an associate or manager. I'm glad that you did get to enjoy Memorial Day weekend at KI and thanks for sharing your experience with us.

[XGatorHead 8904]

Gator...nice report, but I think you meant Memorial Day weekend...Labor Day is in September, at least it is in other park chains!

I continue to remain stunned at the park employees who completely ignore linejumpers. It's being reported here on a semi-regular basis, and that's sad. Very sad.

Thanks for the correction. I changed my post to say Memorial Day. When I go fast I tend to switch the two quite often, even though I know the difference!

And I agree about the park employees. I'm not sure what kind of training they receive about how to deal with line jumpers, but from my one experience so far this year and from reading about others' experiences here, it doesn't seem to be enough. Either that or they're too timid to follow through with the procedures that they've been taught when the time comes.

And there's no need to apologize, Justin. Any discussion is more than welcome here, especially about line jumping. Like I said, it's my mission this year, one that I hopefully don't have to face too often at the parks. With seven visits to KI and one to HW under my belt so far this year, and only one line jumping incident, I'd say I'm having good luck so far!

[violakat03]

You've had more than one incident. Remember the little kid who tried to jump us on Diamondback that I firmly put a stop to? that's actually the only line jumper that actually listened to me this year too, probably because I intimidated the heck out of him!

Posted from the backless BlackBerry mobile device.

[XGatorHead 8904]

^Yeah, I didn't count that one because that was pretty much all you. I didn't say anything to the kid. If I had, he probably would have peed his pants!

[XGatorHead 8904]

Coastermania? Whatever… It was GatorMania Weekend at KI!

So I wasn’t able to go to Coastermania at CP like a bunch of you, for a number of reasons: 1. I’m not a member of a coaster club (but I’m sure I could have tagged along as someone’s guest like some of you did). 2. Finances 3. GatorGirl had a rehearsal on Sunday for her dance recital. 4. I swore I wouldn’t go to CP again until I’m absolutely certain I can fit in Intamins again… and I’m sure it would have gotten old for violakat to keep squeezing me in them like she did for me on Drop Tower during RWCW!

But this weekend, we ended up going to KI twice: Friday was unplanned, and Sunday was semi-unplanned. So I dubbed it GatorMania! But for some reason, the park wouldn’t grant us any ERT…

6/5 – Unplanned Trip with GatorGirl

We were planning to go to Blue Ash for their Summerbration concert; it was Diamond Rio performing. We went last year to see Little Big Town, and they had carnival rides there that kept GatorGirl occupied. Mrs. Gator wanted to see Diamond Rio more than I did, so I was going to stay with GatorGirl while she rode the rides. But then we got to thinking… It would be cheaper for me to take her to KI instead of paying for the carnival rides at Summerbration. As it turns out, it was a good thing GatorGirl and I didn’t go to Blue Ash, because according to Mrs. Gator they had less rides there than last year.

So I pick up GatorGirl from daycare, swing by McDonald’s drive-through and we’re on our way. First ride, of course, was Viking Fury. Then we made our way through Nick U, then over to Scrambler and Monster for night rides under the lights. Got off Monster just in time to watch fireworks, then headed over to Ice Cream Zone for our traditional blue ice cream treat!

6/6 – Semi-Unplanned Trip

We decided on Saturday that it would be nice to spend some time at the park since we won’t be able to for another couple of weeks. So after GatorGirl’s rehearsal we headed straight to KI.

First was the new Endless Summer on Ice. As Don told us at the Winter Blues Party, there were changes made to it. SPOILER ALERT: If you’d like to read about the changes, highlight the section below. If not… well, then, um... don’t highlight the section below!

First, there’s definitely more Scooby. He appears in every scene now. It starts off with the same “School’s Out” sequence (plus Scooby). But the next scene is not the camp, they’ve added a “summer job” sequence. The setting is a car wash, and the costumes are imaginative. Next is the camp scene, but Scooby has now replaced Yogi. There’s a new “Scoobypalooza” scene, with Scooby in full Elton John mode. The Nascar scene is still intact, but “Get Into My Car” now features the female soloist, not the male anymore. The back to school dance scene still ends the show. The beach and July 4th scenes are no longer in it.

The ice skaters were good as always, and GatorGirl loved it when she got sprayed with ice (we were sitting 3rd row center).

Next we went to Marty’s Party, then GatorGirl wanted a pretzel so we went in search of that. Even thought their sign said they had pretzels, the little stand between Jimmy Neutron’s Atom Smashers and FOC did not have them. We then went out to IS. Munchen Tower (the little stand at the corner of Emporium, for all you non-old food employees) has changed! They had been selling Belgian waffles earlier this year (and I think even as recently as Friday), but now it’s called I-Street BBQ. The menu looks good, with roasted corn on the cob, BBQ, Saratoga chips and turkey legs. I think we’ll have to try it on another visit. We eventually found pretzels at Tower Drinks. They said “gourmet”, but they were nothing like the gourmet pretzels the park had at the candy shop years ago, which were much, much better.

We then got our first ride, which of course was Viking Fury. Then on to Scrambler (while Mrs. Gator rode Zephyr), then all three of us on Monster, then spent 40 nickels in the Arcade for skee-ball and the “clucking chicken” game. Our prize for 35 tickets was a defective train whistle… the holes that you blow through were not fully drilled out. I tried to exchange it, but the girl at the counter checked the others, they were all like that and she said that we had to do it ourselves at home but she wasn’t sure how to do it. I’ll have to get my drill out, I guess…

We then parent swapped Delirium, and Mrs.Gator and GatorGirl left while I was on it to go ride Plankton’s Plunge. When I re-joined them, I discovered that they had met some friends of ours and their kids. So while GatorGirl and I joined them for blue ice cream, Mrs. Gator SRL’d Diamondback (I think she’s addicted… I wouldn’t know what that’s like ). Then it was my turn for Diamondback, using the parent swap card. As I was standing at the exit gate, I saw keiko_coaster. She asked me what I was doing there, and I tried to explain the parent swap procedure to her, but she was confused. I can see how it could be confusing if you’ve never used it, or if you’re not a parent.

I then rejoined the rest of the group. Our friends left after SD&THC, but I had to get a ride in on FOC. So after riding that and stopping at Graeter’s so Mrs. Gator could get a treat (she’s not a fan of the blue ice cream like GatorGirl and I, so it was strawberry chip for her) we left for home at about 9:15.

Two good days of fun! We had to get them in because the next time we're even able to visit is either 6/27 or 6/28, or maybe July 4th weekend. This weekend is my family reunion, the weekend after that is GatorGirl's dance recital on Saturday and a trip to The Beach on Sunday 6/21. Will this trip to The Beach be better than our last? I'll let you know, but at least this time we'll want to get wet...

[The Interpreter]

...Munchen Tower (the little stand at the corner of Emporium, for all you non-old food employees) has changed! They had been selling Belgian waffles earlier this year (and I think even as recently as Friday), but now it's called I-Street BBQ. The menu looks good, with roasted corn on the cob, BBQ, Saratoga chips and turkey legs. I think we'll have to try it on another visit.

What kind of barbecue?

Terpy, suddenly very interested...

[XGatorHead 8904]

If I remember correctly, I think it was pulled pork. If you're looking for the brand of sauce, it didn't say.

[rotag]

spoiler alert

aww no yogi, that was one of my favorite parts of the show!!!

[XGatorHead 8904]

6/23 - 2½ Hours of Solo Ride Time

I decided to make a short trip up to the park this day. I had a dentist appointment at 2:00, so I worked in the morning and took the afternoon off. After I left the dentist I headed straight for KI, getting there around 3:20. First thing I went for was DB to get my 40th ride on it.

The end of the line was at the vending machines, so I decided to wait in the regular line. I kept an eye on the SRL, and noticed that no one had entered it since I got in line. As soon as I was able to, I moved over to the SRL to play SRL Roulette... and lost. The SRL line was at the bottom of the stairs, and I kept a lookout for the people that had been in front and behind me in the regular line. Sure enough, they passed me as I was almost to the station. I ended up 3 trains behind them, so instead of having a 20 minute wait in the regular line, I had a 25 minute wait in the SRL.

While in the SRL, I stopped a pair of line jumpers. I was at the end of the SRL (towards the middle of the staircase at the time) and two teen boys tried to pass me. I spoke up and said "Sorry, the end of the line is here". One of the boys said "We're just looking for our friend" (oldest excuse in the book). I said "Well, you can see the rest of the line from here. If he's not on these stairs, then he's in the station or on the ride, and there's very few people in the station". The boy who had replied to me said to his friend "Come on, let's go back." Success! Score so far this year: Gator: 1, Line Jumpers: 1

I debated riding DB again, but decided against it because 40 rides is a nice round number, and there were other things I wanted to ride. Next was The Crypt. I hadn't ridden since RWCW, so I wanted to try out the new program. I waited about 15 minutes, and let me say, I was very disappointed. I had read others' comments on here, and I agree with the majority that say it's terrible. It's so sad how far this once great (when it was TR:TR) ride has fallen. I loved TR:TR, I kind of liked the program last year, but the new program is just terrible. The two girls next to me were apprehensive when they got on, but when it was over one said "That's it?" and the other said "That's a rip-off". It would only be worth riding again if it's a walk-on, but unfortunately you can't tell if it is until you get inside.

I needed something exciting after my ride on The Neutered Crypt, so next was The Beast. After that, I headed towards Coney Mall. I didn't have too much time left, so I glanced over at BLSC and determined the line was a little too long. I debated riding Vortex, but along the way I was enticed by Shake, Rattle & Roll. I love this ride and hadn't ridden it yet this year. It will be a regular for us though once GatorGirl gets to 42". She's almost there!

I was headed towards Racer when I saw Zephyr had no line, so I rode that next. Then it was on to Blue Racer, which I was able to walk right on. I had time for one more ride, so I headed for AE. There was a one train wait for the front seat, so I decided to wait for that since it's been a long time since I've ridden in that seat. I love that little coaster.

On my way out of the park, I stopped by the Dippin' Dots cart outside The Racer to get a frozen Strawberry Lemonade cup, and was given a little wooden spoon to eat it with. My friends have always made fun of me because I have an aversion to eating things with/on a wooden stick. I don't like those wooden little spoons, and I don't like popsicle sticks. When I have a popsicle on a wooden stick, I'm always careful not to let it touch my tongue. I don't like the taste of them, and they leave a little of their taste on the popsicle too. OK, yes, I'm weird, but you probably knew that already! Just add this to the list. What happened to the plastic spoons that we could get with the frozen lemonade cups last year? Maybe it's because they switched brands and the new ones come with the wooden spoons. Either way, I headed straight for Outer Hanks and got a plastic fork (I didn't see any spoons) and ate it with that.

Off the topic, but on the way to pick up GatorGirl from daycare, I stopped by the Speedway on the corner of 42 and Tylersville to get a drink. It was hot, I was thirsty, and the frozen lemonade cup didn't help. I had been looking all over for Mountain Dew Throwback, and this is the only place in 3 states that I've found it! This stuff is terrific! Mrs. Gator used to like Mountain Dew but doesn't anymore. When I got home, she tried this and loved it. She said "This is what it used to taste like when I liked it". I hope they keep this around. Hmmm... I think I need to stop there again after work today...

I've now been to KI 10 times this season, June's over, and I haven't been to Boomerang Bay yet this year! That's very atypical of us. Although we have been to The Beach twice now this year thanks to our incident there in December. I'll post that TR soon!

[Avatar]

Gator another great installment. good to hear you had success with line jumpers and tons of rides. I look forward to seeing your report on The Beach and I understand about not getting to Boomerang Bay yet this year. We normally have made many visits there but nothing new in a long time translates to us not being as eager as we normally are to go. Hope all is well and the dentist trip was a good one.

[The Interpreter]

Wow...soon you and Gator Girl will be on Shake, Rattle and Roll together! That's just awesome, and I know how much you are looking forward to that!

[XGatorHead 8904]

Hope all is well and the dentist trip was a good one.

It was a good one as always. I've never had a cavity in my life *knocks on wood*. Here, take a look... see, no fillings!

Wow...soon you and Gator Girl will be on Shake, Rattle and Roll together! That's just awesome, and I know how much you are looking forward to that!

I sure am. I'm always looking forward to anytime GatorGirl gets to experience a new ride! The 42" mark doesn't get her much more at KI than 40", only SR&R if I remember correctly.

[KIfan1980]

I sure am. I'm always looking forward to anytime GatorGirl gets to experience a new ride! The 42" mark doesn't get her much more at KI than 40", only SR&R if I remember correctly.

The other potential benefit of 42" is that she is tall enough to ride Timmy's Air Tours and Lazytown Sportacopoters without you.