missmolly Posted August 1, 2003 Share Posted August 1, 2003 Hi - My hubby has invited me and the kids to go with him on a business trip where he will be staying at PKI Resort! So the boys and I will be spending the week at the park and he will join us in the evenings. I have only been to PKI twice in my life once I think in 79 or 80 and once in 87. We have been to Disney and Universal one time - (in 2000) and have been to a small park here in MI a few times but do not have much experience with big parks. I would really appreciate any tips anyone would like to give me. We are getting the Family season pass and it will usually be just me and two boys 7 & 12. My seven yr old is just 48" and I am hoping brave enough to ride the stuff his brother likes. We will be getting in town this Sun. afternoon (we are hoping to go to the park, get our passes and ride a few rides that day)and don't have to leave until Sat. afternoon! Thanks in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StXBomber Posted August 1, 2003 Share Posted August 1, 2003 For the younger one, try working his way up to the bigger rides. Try Runaway Reptar first, then Adventure Express, then Racer, then Top Gun. Those are the least intense coasters in the park, so if he can handle those, then he should be able to ride all of the other rides he would be tall enough for (He is too small for Flight of Fear and other big rides though). Also, go to Rivertown first, then Coney, then Action Zone, then Hanna-Barberra land and Nickelodeon Central. The crowd normally starts in AZ, so the trick is starting in the other side of the park and then work your way over there. HBL and NC normally have no crowd at all at night. I hope this is useful to you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xx2cansamxX Posted August 1, 2003 Share Posted August 1, 2003 (edited) 1st off, I HIGHLY recommend going on a weekday. They are the only days you can ride everything. Here are some tips... -Ride Flight of Fear in the morning. There is usually a minimum wait in the morning, and as the day gets hotter, more people will go ride it seemings how it is indoors. (The entrance is next to the Giant Swings.) -Get at least 1 night ride on The Beast. The Beast is awesome in the day, and even better at night. The front car is cool, but be prepared for a mouth full of bugs if you ride there. -Flat Rides. Kings Island is home of some great flat rides. There are 3 that I HIGHLY recommend. Drop Zone, Dilerium, and Tomb Raider. All 3 very unique and undescribable. -Face/Off. Excellent ride for a family. Watch the fear on each others faces as you sit facing others. -Spongebob 3d. A great family ride, and one of the most popular cartoon characters. (Scooby Doo and the Haunted Castle is another family ride, but the lines can be very long) -Eating. 2 places you MUST eat at are Skyline Chili, and Montgomery Inn. Both are Cincinnati classics. -Waterpark. If you want, take a day or a half of a day, and go to the waterpark. Free Admission if you have a pass. It will provide you hours of fun. Edited January 1, 1970 by Xx2cansamxX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StXBomber Posted August 1, 2003 Share Posted August 1, 2003 -Ride Outer Limits in the morning. There is usually a minimum wait in the morning, and as the day gets hotter, more people will go ride it seemings how it is indoors. (The entrance is next to the Giant Swings.) The ride is now called Flight of Fear, not Outer Limits. Don't confuse our guests please, we already get enough people who are confused while trying to find Outer Limits, when it tecnically doesn't exist anymore. Also, the line is normally short from 10 to somewhere around 10:45. That's when it begins to get long. Also, at night it is short from about 9 to close. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmolly Posted August 1, 2003 Author Share Posted August 1, 2003 Thanks for the input. I was thinking that if we buy season passes and we are going to be at the resort for the week that we might go the the park for a while each day. Do you think there would be enough to do for the kids? I thought we could even spend some time in the water park each day? Is this a good plan or does anyone else have a better idea? Maybe we should just by two day passes and only go a couple days? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadow2k3 Posted August 1, 2003 Share Posted August 1, 2003 It really depends on what your kids are willing to do. Try doing what's been suggested (Trying light coasters and staying in HB and NC), then ask your kids what they feel that they're ready for (and tall enough for). That way you know everything goes smoothly. If all else fails, there are plenty of other things to do than besides ride rides. Even though I despise them, you might like watching the shows. You can also shop , go to the arcades, and a ton of other things i can't think of at the moment. Experimentation is the key to success. ~Shadow~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoasterKrazy Posted August 1, 2003 Share Posted August 1, 2003 A few more general tips: -Free ice water is given out at almost all food places around the park. Instead of buying bottled water, get the ice water for free. I usually get two cups at a time to keep me hydrated. Also, when buying meals, get the free ice water here as well. It can save you up to $3 per meal. -I have found that the best places to eat are Bubba Gump's Shrimp Shack ( Located in Oktoberfest ) Madarin Cuisine ( Located on left side of Internation Street just as you enter the park ) and Wings ( Located at the end of Rivertown, near Nick Central ) They always have good, hot, food and if you take my advise on the water, the prices are reasonable. -Take your time! It sounds like you'll be at the park for several days, so don't be in any rush to get things done. You'll have plenty of time to ride everything during your stay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dane Posted August 1, 2003 Share Posted August 1, 2003 (edited) If you are going to go more than 2 days, a season pass is the way to go. Plus it makes a better suveneer if you ask me. If you deside to go to waterworks each day, remember, lockers cost money. Plus you would have to bring stuff such as towels. Do you think there would be enough to do for the kids? You said they were 7 and 12, well there at the age where there ride big rides like Son of Beast, but still enjoy the fiddy rides too. I would definently set a minumum of 2 days for the main park. The waterpark can be done in 1 day. But it is still fun and you might want to come back on other days. Is this a good plan or does anyone else have a better idea? Maybe we should just by two day passes and only go a couple days? My family was in the same boat when we went to Disney. I always plan the days for efficiencey, getting in and riding all of the rides, and doing it in record time. We did that and knocked out all 4 parks in three days. I also found this interesting, one days we went to Animal Kingdom in the mourning, went to MGM in the afternoon, and got to the Magic Kingdom at night. Every night we ended up at the Magic Kingdom. What all of this is saying is planning is key. The Action Zone is less packed in the afternoon. And most importantly... Welcome to the forums! Edited January 1, 1970 by Dane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixFlagsMasta Posted August 1, 2003 Share Posted August 1, 2003 as for your kids, there's plenty for everyone to do. i grew up with PKI and have always (even when i was 3) found something fun to do. pki has two awesome kiddie parks and has been voted 2 years running now for the best kids area. have fun on your extended trip to the island. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bingog34 Posted August 1, 2003 Share Posted August 1, 2003 As much fun as PKI is, if you're going to be in town for a week, you might want to check out some other things around the Mason/Kings area. The Beach Waterpark has a deal where if you print out tickets found on www.wkrq.com, you can get in from 5-9 PM for $1.02 on Friday night (and Friday night only). That's a great way to top off your trip, and to get into another theme park altogether for next to nothing! Also, the Friday crowd will be EXTREMELY large, due to it being Bring a Friend Free day (where all Gold passholders get to bring a friend free), if you find the park to be too crowded, you could maybe go to the putt-putt found on Kings Mills Road by the Kroger (I'm sure you'll explore the surrounding area). This is a good idea, especially a better alternative than waiting in line for hours, or sitting in your hotel room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmolly Posted August 1, 2003 Author Share Posted August 1, 2003 First let me say thank you for all your advice. You are all so friendly and helpful. Well it sounds like we will have plenty to do. I think we may skip Friday as it sounds like that will not be worth my trouble and we will have allready had 4 days of fun pluse a couple hours on Sunday. How expensive are the lockers at the water park? There is a small park about an hour from us that we go to every year. It has both rides and a water park and we usually go there every year and spend the morning on the rides, the afternoon at the water park and the eveings back on the rides. I was kinda thinking I would go that route and just pack towels in a backpack with my camera, wet wipes, bandaids and such. That is how we do it here but like I siad it's a small park that can be easily done in one day. Do you think it would be better to plan one day for the water park and other days for just the theme park? I am also wondering if PKI has a refilable cup deal where you pay a little extra for the souvenir cup but can have it refilled at any stand in the park for a better price? That is usually a fairly good deal and if we are going to go for several days in a row I think I may try that. We are not too used to long long lines either. The park we go to here has lines only 15 - 30 min. I am a little worried how the kids will handle long lines. When we went to disney we lucked out and had mostly short lines and used the fast pass for the long ones. Thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mars1825 Posted August 2, 2003 Share Posted August 2, 2003 If you wanted to go to PKI throughout the week, then your best bet would be buying Gold Season Passes. It pays for itself in less than 2 visits and it would be good for next year too incase your husband has another meeting next year. Buying a Gold Pass would shorten the lines too. On Tuesdays, some of the major attractions have a double ride line which means you get to ride twice without getting off. On Wednesdays you can walk on rides without having to wait in line for rides such as: Beast, Scooby Doo, Wild Thornberrt's, and Drop Zone or Delirium. On Wednesday wait for the longest lines of the day to use your walk on pass. What you really want to do is skip Friday at the park. As suggested before it would be a great idea to go to the Beach Waterpark on Friday night. The Beach is the midwest's largest waterpark and it is right across the street from PKI. I am pretty sure that lockers are $5 at waterworks. PKI does have a refillable cup deal that you pay a little extra for a 32 oz and refills are only a $1.99. You can also bring back the cup every day you go back to the park. Make sure you do all the big rides during the week so that you won't have to wait as long as you would on a weekend. The park is great and I'm sure you'll have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonLord Posted August 2, 2003 Share Posted August 2, 2003 I hope you guys have fun at the park... and I have a few things to add: First, if you get to the park on Sunday, you can wait till after 5 to buy discount tickets into the park. If you like what is there, then you can use the money you spent towards that to a season pass for the rest of the week. You can also ask at Guest Relations under the front gate if there are any other deals you can have that would be cheaper than a season pass, but I doubt it. There are no more Gold Passes being sold, so you can't use the gold pass perks. Drink lots of water! Water is free if you ask for it, it's been posted already, but we do stress it. If you buy the big cups, you can have them refilled with water for no charge. If you have a cell phone, make sure that you keep it with you and turned on incase one of your kids gets seperated so that they can call you. Make sure your kids know that they can go to any of the employees or to a Security officer if they get lost so that we may help you get reunited as soon as possible. Make sure your kids know the cell phone number as well! Also, if you are staying at the Kings Island Resort, they have busses that run from the resort to the park every half hour or so, I belive. That will be the best way to get to the park so you don't have to pay for parking. Just make sure you know the bus scheduel. If you get a chance to go around the area, Lebanon, just North of Kings Island on 71 has some great antiques and the infamous Ice Cream Parlor and Golden Lamb. Both of them are great places to visit, but they are expensive. If the kids like trains, there is also the historic train station, and I belive they are still giving rides on the train. Avoid the park on Friday at all due cost! We are expecting record crowds that day, so please stay away if you can! Have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mars1825 Posted August 2, 2003 Share Posted August 2, 2003 Gold Passes go on sale August 4th. I'd wait until monday if I were getting a pass because you can get the Gold Pass perks and the pass would be good for next year too, incase you could go again in 2004. A Gold Pass would cost the same as a 2003 season pass. If you buy a pass on Sunday then you don't get the Gold Pass perks and the pass is only good until the end of the year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmolly Posted August 2, 2003 Author Share Posted August 2, 2003 The gold pass sounds great but if we wait until Monday then my hubby will not be with us. He is busy all day Mon. and won't be able to join us until Tue afternoon. Also we were hoping to go to the park for a while on Sunday. It looks like we won't be going to the park on Friday so I don't really want to scrap Sun. Too. Bummer because that Gold pass would have been great. :0( Oh well. I wish I had more time to plan all this. We pack tomorrow and hit the road early Sunday. Can I get a family pass when all the family members are not with me? Someone mentioned earlier something about buying a one day ticket and then using that to upgrade to a seson pass - is there a way I could pay for Sunday and then on monday pay the diff. and get the gold passes? And that would be without my husband present. I'm guessing I had better just get the season passes on sunday and be happy the motel is paid for! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mars1825 Posted August 2, 2003 Share Posted August 2, 2003 (edited) You can buy a family pass even if your husband isn't there on Sunday . You and your kids can get the pass processed at that time so that you can use it on Sunday. All you have to do is get your picture taken for the pass. On Monday, your husband can get his processed. As for using your one-day tickets toward a pass, you can only use it toward a pass if you upgrade the day that you bought the tickets for. You could always ask though if you could upgrade it to a Gold Pass. You never know so it doesn't hurt asking. Another tip I have for you is: Everytime you visit the park you have to pay $8 for parking. Since your staying at the Kings Island resort, I highly reccommend taking the free shuttle to and from the park. That will save you a lot of cash. If you would like some more important tips on having a fun and enjoyable time at PKI, you can PM me. BTW, have a great time! Edited January 1, 1970 by mars1825 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teenageninja Posted August 2, 2003 Share Posted August 2, 2003 Well I would not take Dane's advice (sorry Dane) and avoid Action Zone at all costs in the morning. Start in the back of Coney Mall or Rivertown (although I think The Beast is the best and I'd save that till later.) However, you could start in Action Zone and start on one of the smaller coasters Top Gun. Just remember your 7 year old son can't ride some of the bigger rides such as Delirium, Tomb Raider: The Ride, and Flight of Fear. I'm sure he will be satisfied though. Have fun on your trip. Also there is a Magic Show called Spell Bound you might enjoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StXBomber Posted August 2, 2003 Share Posted August 2, 2003 Yes, start in Riivertown first and avoid Action Zone until later. I said this earlier even. And our own little "celebrity" of the forums even says in his book to start in Rivertown. I hope you and your family have a great time! And remember, only ride White Water Canyon unless you want to get wet... REALLY wet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
italianchef Posted August 2, 2003 Share Posted August 2, 2003 First off, if you want to see every show and ride every ride and attraction at Paramount's Kings Island and WaterWorks (its water park) it'll take 3 days. Second, here's a big tip for you. Log on to www.ohio4fun.org or call 800-791-4FUN. That is the web site of the Warren County Convention & Visitors Bureau. There's plenty to do in Warren County besides PKI - which is the best thing there. Sincerely, Italian Chef Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dane Posted August 2, 2003 Share Posted August 2, 2003 Well I would not take Dane's advice (sorry Dane) and avoid Action Zone at all costs in the morning. Oh, sorry about that, I meant the other way around, I guess my fingers and my brain are off-sync again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmolly Posted August 3, 2003 Author Share Posted August 3, 2003 Well we are all packed and ready to go! We leave in the morning. I called PKI this afternoon and the lady told me I could get tickets at the hotel and they have the free night before ticket we could use for tomorrow night and then on monday we can turn in our tickets and put them twards the price of the new season pass so that will work out perfect! She also said that we would have a choice between a reg. pass or a gold but didn't say the difference in price. Anyone know how much more they usually cost? I want to say thanks one more time - you have all been great and very helpful. The kids are very excited and we are planning on having a great time! Even though the weather is saying rain! Thanks again - Missmolly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StXBomber Posted August 3, 2003 Share Posted August 3, 2003 I hope you enjoy your time at the park! There are many things to do, so your family will have plenty to keep themselves entertained with. Will you be posting on the site during your visit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmolly Posted August 3, 2003 Author Share Posted August 3, 2003 I will not have a puter I can use so I will not be posting. I might post when I get pback though! Thanks again - Missmolly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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