Kings Island's 5@5 Q&A Thread

[bkroz]

Our answerer seems also to be more "politically correct" and to-the-point ever since Mr. Helbig got back (he's back, right?)! A little less personal and more direct-quote-from-the-website. Still better than most other parks, I'm just sayin'!

[Oldiesmann]

Latest questions and answers

Sorry, late again. Busy week! Below are your answers for Monday's 5@5 mailbag.

Derek Branock - Will Kings Island's parking lot open early on Opening Day or at normal time?

Gold and Platinum passholders get in at 9am this Saturday and have access to Beast, Diamondback, and Planet Snoopy. Last year we opened the parking lot a bit earlier than normal and it really paid off. We plan to do the same this year. How early, I’m not sure but our goal is to get you in the early ride areas by 9am.

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Tanner Burns - Quick Question.... A few Friends, My Brother and I are Getting the 4 Pack Platinum Pass... My question is when we go to get them processed do we ALL HAVE to be there?? 3 of us were gonna get the processed on the 16th but One of us has to work so he was just gonna wait till the first time he goes to get his processed... Can we do this or do we all have to be there??

You do not all need to be present to have your photo ID cards processed. Come when it works for you. But you should do it before you plan to enter the park. Only in extremely rare cases have we allowed guests to enter with an unprocessed pass. Early morning is the best time to process. It seems everyone always arrives at the same time!

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Brian Broom - You asked where to put web cam's, How about on top of Drop Tower facing towards Coney Mall ???

Great idea. This is one of our ideal locations that we’re checking into. It would be a great view. If not Drop Tower, a really high view of Coney Mall is our goal.

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Aaron Daniel Bort - How many miles does a Beast train travel in one season

I like this question. Each of the ride pages on our new website has good info that could help you calculate answers for questions like this. Check out The Beast page: http://www.visitkingsisland.com/public/park/rides/thrill_rides/the_beast.cfm and you’ll see that the record ride year was 2,150,353 total rides. 7,400 feet of track is roughly 1.4 miles which means in that record year of 1980 the ride traveled 3,013,752 miles. Total rides to date translate to almost 63 million miles or 132 round trips to the moon.

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Toni Brown - So i know you have a kennel to check dogs in but have you ever considered a staffed daycare kind of area for kids to go and hang out for an hour or two to give mom and dad a chance to ride a few rides while they are there?

This is a really good idea actually. Funny to think this concept would have been ridiculous not long ago but today it’s actually available in lots of places. I just recently went on a cruise and we took full advantage of this system. We also use it a lot at the my family goes to. Not exactly sure where to start with an idea like this but I think it could have potential.

http://www.facebook.com/notes/kings-island/55-mailbag-monday-april-12/383901196948

I'm a bit surprised they didn't mention the park's parent swap program in relation to that last question.

[The Interpreter]

Sorry, late again. Busy week! Below are your answers for Monday's 5@5 mailbag.

Derek Branock - Will Kings Island's parking lot open early on Opening Day or at normal time?

Gold and Platinum passholders get in at 9am this Saturday and have access to Beast, Diamondback, and Planet Snoopy. Last year we opened the parking lot a bit earlier than normal and it really paid off. We plan to do the same this year. How early, I'm not sure but our goal is to get you in the early ride areas by 9am.

------------------------------

Tanner Burns - Quick Question.... A few Friends, My Brother and I are Getting the 4 Pack Platinum Pass... My question is when we go to get them processed do we ALL HAVE to be there?? 3 of us were gonna get the processed on the 16th but One of us has to work so he was just gonna wait till the first time he goes to get his processed... Can we do this or do we all have to be there??

You do not all need to be present to have your photo ID cards processed. Come when it works for you. But you should do it before you plan to enter the park. Only in extremely rare cases have we allowed guests to enter with an unprocessed pass. Early morning is the best time to process. It seems everyone always arrives at the same time!

------------------------------

Brian Broom - You asked where to put web cam's, How about on top of Drop Tower facing towards Coney Mall ???

Great idea. This is one of our ideal locations that we're checking into. It would be a great view. If not Drop Tower, a really high view of Coney Mall is our goal.

------------------------------

Aaron Daniel Bort - How many miles does a Beast train travel in one season

I like this question. Each of the ride pages on our new website has good info that could help you calculate answers for questions like this. Check out The Beast page: http://www.visitking...s/the_beast.cfm and you'll see that the record ride year was 2,150,353 total rides. 7,400 feet of track is roughly 1.4 miles which means in that record year of 1980 the ride traveled 3,013,752 miles. Total rides to date translate to almost 63 million miles or 132 round trips to the moon.

------------------------------

Toni Brown - So i know you have a kennel to check dogs in but have you ever considered a staffed daycare kind of area for kids to go and hang out for an hour or two to give mom and dad a chance to ride a few rides while they are there?

This is a really good idea actually. Funny to think this concept would have been ridiculous not long ago but today it's actually available in lots of places. I just recently went on a cruise and we took full advantage of this system. We also use it a lot at the my family goes to. Not exactly sure where to start with an idea like this but I think it could have potential.

http://www.facebook.com/notes.php?id=155893938367

[Oldiesmann]

I beat you to it Terpy

[The Interpreter]

Indeed you did, by seconds! So, I was second by seconds...

Thanks!

[Sergeant Pepper]

EDIT: Nevermind

[The Interpreter]

I cannot help myself. If a Coke costs around $4, a small serving of Boardwalk fries is $5 at Carowinds, a slice of pizza half the size of a Kings Island slice is $4.49 at Carowinds, and a six inch sub is nearly $7 at Kings Island, what, pray tell, would child care cost? The mind boggles...

For too many adolescents, Kings Island already offers day care...I believe it is called, by the CEO, a "season's pass."

[kjkjkj]

It kind of annoys me when parents just drop their kids off and expect people to baby sit them even though it isn't their job. I'm not talking, teenagers, I'm talking kids, like 11,12,13 year olds.

Like at my subdivision where I live they have a large community pool. I know a lot of the lifegaurds there, and they say that parents drop their kids off there all the time, and expect the lifegaurds to "babysit".

[flightoffear1996]

While not a parent I think a 11 year old should be able to be by their-self. I was left alone all day when I was 10 years old in the summer time while my parents went off to work.

[The Interpreter]

In this day and age, leaving an 11 year old to fend for themselves in a theme park is at best foolish, and may even be considered to be child abuse by the authorities. Many parks do not allow children of such age to be admitted to the parks without a responsible adult.

[bkroz]

Many parks do not allow children of such age to be admitted to the parks without a responsible adult.

But then again, which of the numerous people stationed at the park's gates (most teenagers themselves) would bother to ask for ID to verify a kid's age before letting them in? Sad, but true.

[The Interpreter]

Lake Winnie, Camden Park, some Six Flags parks....expect their employees to enforce the park policies in this regard, and they do.

Then again, at Carowinds, one can (and did) watch security guards, numerous park employees and even one Bart Kinzel himself repeatedly walk right past guests who were smoking throughout the park, and ignore them.

Parks get enforcement of those things they want enforced. If they can't enforce park policies, would you, as a parent, want them providing child care for your children?

[Colonel_SoB_fan]

It kind of annoys me when parents just drop their kids off and expect people to baby sit them even though it isn't their job. I'm not talking, teenagers, I'm talking kids, like 11,12,13 year olds.

Like at my subdivision where I live they have a large community pool. I know a lot of the lifegaurds there, and they say that parents drop their kids off there all the time, and expect the lifegaurds to "babysit".

Before I got my job at KI, I worked as a camp counselor at the YMCA in Hamilton and we had kids in there that were 11-13 year olds, and they would be the kids getting other kids in trouble as well as themselves.

[vortexfan]

Then again, at Carowinds, one can (and did) watch security guards, numerous park employees and even one Bart Kinzel himself repeatedly walk right past guests who were smoking throughout the park, and ignore them.

Parks get enforcement of those things they want enforced. If they can't enforce park policies, would you, as a parent, want them providing child care for your children?

Terpy, a few days ago I asked a friend of mine who works at Canada's Wonderland how the park teaches employees to deal with line jumpers. Basically, he said it's not a rule employees need to enforce, but merely a 'common courtesy' and should be dealt with at the ride op's/attendant's discretion...I imagine there is similar ideology for the smoking policy. "It's a rule, but not really..."

[LongliveKingsCobra]

...Uhg, Got my password...after like a year, but I am back

As to the "A rule, but not really"

I see it everytime I go to the park, but I also see the ride ops being very strict with line jumping. I assume it varries from park to park (how ever it really shouldn't).

As that faithful song says,

"You can't allways get what you want".

[bkroz]

I believe that, overall, employees are not 'brave' enough to enforce things. I can only imagine that many of the people who blatantly and knowingly defy the 'no smoking' rule don't care what a 16 year old employee has to say - quite the opposite, they may think it a joke if they were approached and asked to put out their cigarette. I know that I would feel very uncomfortable asking someone to stop smoking, even though it's the right thing to do. We're conditioned to leave it alone when we see something wrong, but not too wrong. How many people are turned away from the gates because of inappropriate clothing? Certainly no where near the amount of people who dress inappropriately, if any at all!

I have seen first hand how faulty the system is - in line for Mantis at Cedar Point, there was a blatant attempt for a group of large, swearing, barely-clothed African American men to cut half the line*. They did successfully. My group of friends and I, however, were still ahead of them and made a point to immediately tell the staff member at the station. He had us go to the head ride operator, who asked us to point out the group. We did. Nothing happened. It was frustrating and maddening to know that, most likely, it's because our 20-something ride operator simply wouldn't approach the group of men. Would I have? No. But nothing was done about it. All the meantime, if my group of friends and myself had tried the same thing, we would have been denied access to the ride, and likely (and rightly) been escorted from the park.

I'm not saying I could do any better. Just that there should be a way for ride operators to contact someone who can do something, for example, a security guard.

* I, of course, mean no disrespect to anyone. I simply wanted to point out the unfairness of it all - because a group looks 'intimidating,' they are simply not held to the same standards as everyone else because they're not approachable.

[The Interpreter]

And, conversely, the relatively aged gentleman with a Platinum Pass from another park in the chain is given the run-around, virtually accused of being a thief and a liar and not granted entry into the park for more than 20 minutes. Yep...customer service. A Cedar Fair priority...

[TH13TEEN]

It kind of annoys me when parents just drop their kids off and expect people to baby sit them even though it isn't their job. I'm not talking, teenagers, I'm talking kids, like 11,12,13 year olds.

Like at my subdivision where I live they have a large community pool. I know a lot of the lifegaurds there, and they say that parents drop their kids off there all the time, and expect the lifegaurds to "babysit".

As a lifeguard myself I understand where your coming from. But as a 11 year old I was at the park for hours on end by myself. I really think parents should be able to make this decision.

[Diamondback96]

And, conversely, the relatively aged gentleman with a Platinum Pass from another park in the chain is given the run-around, virtually accused of being a thief and a liar and not granted entry into the park for more than 20 minutes. Yep...customer service. A Cedar Fair priority...

That doesn't sound like FUN at all...

[Colonel_SoB_fan]

^ at KI there is a way to call security from any food stand, ride, restroom. These phones allow any employee to call for anyone who can take care of a situation

[kjkjkj]

It kind of annoys me when parents just drop their kids off and expect people to baby sit them even though it isn't their job. I'm not talking, teenagers, I'm talking kids, like 11,12,13 year olds.

Like at my subdivision where I live they have a large community pool. I know a lot of the lifegaurds there, and they say that parents drop their kids off there all the time, and expect the lifegaurds to "babysit".

As a lifeguard myself I understand where your coming from. But as a 11 year old I was at the park for hours on end by myself. I really think parents should be able to make this decision.

I didn't say it shouldn't be allowed. I am just saying it annoys me personally, that parents just drop their kids off at places like Kings Island and public pools, and expect their kids to be looked after.

[LongliveKingsCobra]

^Except stand alone carts. Those Teens are there by themselves, and if a customer has a complaint, or something goes wrong they have to wait for thier TL or ATL to show up and help them out. I was scared to death my first day in AZ Carts, I mean if you messed up, you had to wait for a TL, cause you can't leave your cart (Number 1 rule)...

Cobra, jus' inserting his life stories!

[dr_humor]

I know that I would feel very uncomfortable asking someone to stop smoking, even though it's the right thing to do.

Of course there is some discomfort, but if it helps, I have never had a smoker not extinguish a cig. if I asked politely. From a young (16ish) to old (50ish)...I've simply asked if he/she could please not smoke (it's always been in line for a ride) around my wife and I. 100% success rate so far.

[HTCO]

And, conversely, the relatively aged gentleman with a Platinum Pass from another park in the chain is given the run-around, virtually accused of being a thief and a liar and not granted entry into the park for more than 20 minutes. Yep...customer service. A Cedar Fair priority...

That doesn't sound like FUN at all...

If I hear that pun one more time...

[KIfan73]

The PUN and only?

[Sergeant Pepper]

</h2>

<h2>It continues to be a very busy week, so I apologize for the delay. Below are your answers for Tuesday's 5@5 mailbag.

Bobby Crawford - I really like the fact that the browser/site identification for the new Kings Island website says “Kings Island theme park – the fan and only.” I for one have always thought of Kings Island as a special theme park and not a run of the mill amusement park, with I-Street, Rivertown, Coney Mall, etc. Hasn’t the park always been called a theme park?

Bobby, when the park opened in 1972, it was divided into five themed areas: International Street, Old Coney Island, Oktoberfest, Rivertown and the Happy Land of Hanna-Barbera. But if you look at old news releases and newspaper articles, for more than a decade the park was referred to as an entertainment center. What we are is a fun park, the thrill capital of the Midwest.

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Christine Salleng Ummkhaleel – I plan on visiting Kings Island on Opening Day. I will arrive at 2 p.m. I will also be processing my pass then as well. Do you think the season pass processing line will still be really long by 2 p.m. on Opening Day? I would really like to know so I can know if I will be waiting a long time or not. Thanks! I appreciate your help!

Christine, if you have a chance to process your season pass prior to Saturday I would recommend doing that so on Opening Day when you arrive at 2 p.m. you can head straight into the park to avoid whatever wait there might be at the Season Pass Processing Center. The wait time on most days is usually the longest in the morning. Opening Day always seems to vary.

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Adam Woltermann – Will we see a change on the Rivertown Train this year like theming or just anything? Thanks.

Adam, you won’t see any new theming with the trains this season but what I can tell you is we’ve had a lot of discussions about the train. We feel there’s an opportunity there; a way to make the ride more of an experience for our guests. The trains are real authentic steam-spitting locomotives and are full-scale replicas of the 1800’s locomotive known as The General, which was the subject of the Great Locomotive Chase of the American Civic War. There's a story behind the trains, one we're looking at ways to tell.

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Brian Krosnick – Will the red & purple spotlights be on inside Flight of Fear’s spaghetti bowl this year? They should be!

That’s a good question. I plan to ride Flight of Fear later this week and will let you know if the spotlights are on.

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Tim Brown – There’s a lot of people that are annoyed by the kids at KI that walk around dribbling basketballs they’ve won at a midway game. In addition to the sound being annoying (especially when near a whole group of dribblers), they also often chase after runaway balls which causes the balls, or even themselves, to run into people. I was just curious if this was viewed by the park as a minor or major problem and is there any chance of the basketballs being replaced or at least handed out with no air in them?

Tim, looking through the guest comment forms from last year this doesn’t appear to be a problem but since you say there’s a lot of people that are annoyed by it, we’re going to take a look at it and see if there’s something we need to change there. Thank you for bringing it to our attention.

[The Interpreter]

a. The Thrill Capital of the Midwest? I'm sorry, but that's Cedar Point's positioning....and rightly so.

b. Basketballs not a problem based on customer comments? Sounds like I (and many others) need to start visiting Guest Relations and leaving complaints. This is one of my biggest complaints about an otherwise very pleasant park...and I doubt I am alone in this.

[PREMiERdrum]

Bobby Crawford - I really like the fact that the browser/site identification for the new Kings Island website says “Kings Island theme park – the fan and only.” I for one have always thought of Kings Island as a special theme park and not a run of the mill amusement park, with I-Street, Rivertown, Coney Mall, etc. Hasn’t the park always been called a theme park?

Bobby, when the park opened in 1972, it was divided into five themed areas: International Street, Old Coney Island, Oktoberfest, Rivertown and the Happy Land of Hanna-Barbera. But if you look at old news releases and newspaper articles, for more than a decade the park was referred to as an entertainment center. What we are is a fun park, the thrill capital of the Midwest.

This would have been a great opportunity for the park to affirm their commitment to themed, escapist experiences. They didn't. Thrill park it is.

[The Interpreter]

I am assuming the "fan and only" is a typo...or a Freudian slip....

Note that the question as asked did NOT contain this typo.

[kjkjkj]

I think I am going to start a forum on Kings Islands facebook about the basketballs. If you are on Facebook, go to Kings Island's page and go to the topic on there that I will start, and say whether you are annoyed by people bouncing the basketballs in the park.

EDIT: Forum is on Kings Island's Facebook page under the "Boxes" tab (The tab where you can find the 5@5 and stuff)The Forum is called "Are you annoyed by people bouncing basketballs in Kings Island"