The Interpreter Posted July 12, 2010 Share Posted July 12, 2010 http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2010/jul/11/crossing-the-line/ Well worth reading in full...no quotes this time. Discuss, if you wish... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avatar Posted July 12, 2010 Share Posted July 12, 2010 This is a nice glowing report about Kings Island from a newspaper only 1 hour from Dollywood no doubt. The one thing that evidently weighed heavily on the writers mind was the high prices so much so that the tip for her readers is for everyone to bring a cooler to eat out of. So now in news articles the writers are warning its readers about the prices at Kings Island I wonder if the Kings Island worshipers will start a campaign in the editorial sections of the newspapers and compare prices at Kings Island to other sporting events and movie theaters. It warms my heart to see such a glowing positive report about my life long home park but just breaks my heart seeing articles exposing high prices too especially during a time when people are finding they need to cut their expenses. I just hope prices come down a bit before more families are steered away to other destinations. Yet again just this week I spent about 15 minutes with the corporate secretary of my biggest customer in explaining all that Holiday World has to offer because her and her husband decided not to go to Kings Island because of the cost and she heard it was much cheaper at Holiday World. I said it before and I will keep saying it Kings Island reputation of being over priced is very real here in Indianapolis and Holiday World is capitalizing on that perception well. If Kings Island numbers are staying high in attendance and per caps I think that is great and I wish that for them always. I must admit I have seen a big change in attitudes around here everyone loves the park but are put off with the prices, this is very REAL and articles like these is just backing up what many of us are hearing from casual acquaintances. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkroz Posted July 12, 2010 Share Posted July 12, 2010 A great way to remind us that, while we often nit-pick things that casual visitor does not notice (fog machines, 'splashdowns,' area-appropriate music, etc), we can also hit the nail right on the head - What this visitor and his family learned from experience is probably the first thing any one of us would have recommended had he asked for help planning here: pack a lunch and eat it in your car. Still good to see that Snoopy is leaving a good impression with visitors of all ages, and that Kings Island can be a destination! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Millennium Posted July 12, 2010 Share Posted July 12, 2010 I love Kings Island--it has it's cons, but I always have fun while I am there, isn't that the point of an amusement park? Good find. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coaster_junky Posted July 12, 2010 Share Posted July 12, 2010 that's a great article, i wish i could shake this woman's hand for doing research and just not going on an all out bashing spree against Kings Island for things out of their control. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dbfan Posted July 12, 2010 Share Posted July 12, 2010 A steam train ride doubles as transportation between the main theme park and the Boomerang Bay water park They really need to fix this, everyone just sees it as a transport to BB. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted July 12, 2010 Author Share Posted July 12, 2010 And if it didn't do that, Paramount probably would have removed it. Where are the train rides at Kings Dominion, Carowinds and California's Great America? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrainedBeast Posted July 12, 2010 Share Posted July 12, 2010 And if it didn't do that, Paramount probably would have removed it. Where are the train rides at Kings Dominion, Carowinds and California's Great America? Actually Terpy, I would have to disagree with you. (Sorry! ) The main reason Dominion and Carowinds lost their Steam trains, pointed out by Engineer Steve during the Train Tour, was due to the fact that those areas do not have such a strong engineering core as we do here in Cincinnati. If you look all around you there are so many engineering facilities around here, not just GE, but there are riverboats and other things too. If it wasn't for the first 10 years with the engineers they had, we would not have our beautiful steam engines. I wish people would see what a hidden gem our little train is and what a piece of KI history it is too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted July 12, 2010 Author Share Posted July 12, 2010 Kings Island's trains are indeed historical and perhaps even an homage to engineering (though I think that is a huge stretch), and that makes a very nice story, but...I can assure you that Paramount Parks gave not a whit about Cincinnati's 'engineering core.' They were not a company that took such matters into consideration when deciding what to install, where or what to remove. Just look at how much they respected the theming in the park, or any of host of other aspects that KECO would never have changed. And there are many train buffs and engineers around Richmond, perhaps even more so than in Cincinnati...Richmond was and is a major railroad town... http://srnels.people.wm.edu/antrichf95/davis.html http://www.roadstothefuture.com/Richmond_Railroads.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffy Posted July 12, 2010 Share Posted July 12, 2010 I'll be interested to do my own costs analysis between HW which I visited last week and KI that I have not visited in two years. If memory serves a large cheese pizza cost $19 at HW; it was not in any way a good comparison as to taste as the holy grail of pizza served at KI. Tues./Weds LaRosa here I come! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PREMiERdrum Posted July 12, 2010 Share Posted July 12, 2010 We've known for quite a while that the gouging would eventually affect Per Caps. I wouldn't be surprised if this is the year. It's just gotten to be too much... too many nickles tacked on year after year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedarPointer Posted July 12, 2010 Share Posted July 12, 2010 A 32oz drink at KI is $4.25 including tax. At CP, it's somewhere around $4.50 before adding tax. And I sure saw a lot of people at CP with drinks in their hand... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkroz Posted July 12, 2010 Share Posted July 12, 2010 A 32oz drink at KI is $4.25 including tax. At CP, it's somewhere around $4.50 before adding tax. And I sure saw a lot of people at CP with drinks in their hand... But again one must remember that Cedar Point is dealing with about 10% season passholders. Of the other 90%, a fair amount is comprised of travelers who probably are not from Ohio, and probably take a "Cedar Point" vacation the way many take a "Disney World" vacation - one where you've saved up and expect high prices that you'll pay anyway. Kings Island's attendance, meanwhile, is significantly made up of season passholders, and many who are not season passholders are locals, or from the tri-state area. For them, Kings Island isn't necessarily a destination that they plan six months in advance, and so when they come, they do not buy the expensive food the way people from Oregon visiting Cedar Point might... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KIfan73 Posted July 12, 2010 Share Posted July 12, 2010 I like to chime in whenever the topic of food prices at KI comes up. Eating out almost anywhere is expensive. I maintain that eating out at Kings Island isn't that much more expensive. McDonald's has value meals over $6.00 now. Any sit down restaurant's drinks are in the $2-$3 range. None of those places has hundreds of millions of dollars worth of rides and attractions - not to mention all of the other things that Kings Island has to offer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldiesmann Posted July 12, 2010 Share Posted July 12, 2010 It also depends on where you eat within the park. Some food stands are a much better deal than others. In the case of hot dogs, the best place to get them is Snake Pit, where you can get a jumbo (half-pound) hot dog for $4.25. A "regular" hot dog will run you $6 at Planet Snoopy Grill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PREMiERdrum Posted July 12, 2010 Share Posted July 12, 2010 I like to chime in whenever the topic of food prices at KI comes up. Eating out almost anywhere is expensive. I maintain that eating out at Kings Island isn't that much more expensive. McDonald's has value meals over $6.00 now. Any sit down restaurant's drinks are in the $2-$3 range. None of those places has hundreds of millions of dollars worth of rides and attractions - not to mention all of the other things that Kings Island has to offer. And if the quality matched the prices... we wouldn't complain so loudly. Poor quality + Outrageously inflated prices = Unhappy guests. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purplehaze Posted July 12, 2010 Share Posted July 12, 2010 A 32oz drink at KI is $4.25 including tax. At CP, it's somewhere around $4.50 before adding tax. And I sure saw a lot of people at CP with drinks in their hand... But it is Pepsi products Its worth it . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alluna Posted July 13, 2010 Share Posted July 13, 2010 Hrm. I think it was sloppy, but I'm hoping it was a blog post... not a bonafide article. The focus of this story is first, all about the height of her kids. It's a cute way to intro the story, but come on. Then she says she was worried there wouldn't be enough for them to do, even after, 5 paragraphs later, discovering how tall they were. Was she unable to log onto the KI site? It is quite possible to know every single ride your kid can fit on before leaving the house. The comparison to Coney is absurd. She didn't say anything about the value of Boomerang Bay for the kids. There is so much for kids to do there. We spend hours alone running under that giant dumping bucket. Then she talks price. Or tries to. If your family is on budget, then why are you eating full meals in the park, buying the photos, using the family dryer and getting the faces painted? Is there no way for this woman to avoid spending money on things that she deems overpriced? I think that the typical family doesn't do it all in one visit. Either I buy everyone a round of ice cream, or I stand in the family dryer and get the kids faces painted. It's give and take at a park, just like in real life. Of course, if I spent money on everything in sight, I'd be complaining about prices, too! I just find it hard to believe that they went here with saving money in mind, then went ahead and spent money on whatever they wanted. Common sense would dictate that you do what you can afford, which is what everyone else in the park is doing. Nobody sweeps through the park buying up all their ride photos, getting their faces painted (I'm a pro face painter, those are fair prices, btw), the whole nine yards unless they aren't concerned with a budget.It sounds to me like she had plenty of money to burn, but tried to relate the article to an audience that might not. I think what I really didn't like was that it ended on a sour note with me. Why not mention the benefits of getting two parks for one price? What about cheaper meal options than sitting down for burgers and fries? Did she mention the fireworks show? The Starlight experience? I really wish that this writer would have done her homework before visiting the park. It isn't very difficult to find a lot of tips online (some of which I've put up there myself) on how to save money if you are visiting the park while spending conservatively. She could have followed up her cost complaints with lots of juicy tips on how the average park goer from TN could save money along the way.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted July 13, 2010 Author Share Posted July 13, 2010 It is not a blog post. This appeared also in the printed edition. And the writer typically takes her kids to Dollywood...just a point in passing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoastersRZ Posted July 13, 2010 Share Posted July 13, 2010 Well, I`m going to chime in on this article, but not because of the afore mentioned food prices. Rather, I`m going to mention that this Knoxville article mentioned Coney Island! And for a tip for those interested in visiting Coney, be sure to check their website for the "Deal of the Day" this year. They have been having some pretty good discounts on there. Today`s was rides admission for $6.95 (a savings of $5) and yesterday was a pool and ride admission ticket for $16.95, again $5 off). Yes, Coney doesn`t have all the big rides that Kings Island has, but for the price, Coney offers a lot and can certainly make for a nice afternoon visit. And as an aside, this summer so far has been really good to Coney. Records were actually broken on July 3rd this year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedarPointer Posted July 13, 2010 Share Posted July 13, 2010 The way that she ended it reminded me of one of those standardized test "Which sentence isn't on-topic?" type questions... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KIfan1980 Posted July 13, 2010 Share Posted July 13, 2010 In response to Alluna, I guess articles like this are subject to interpretation. I read it and thought the author was sharing a positive impression of Kings Island as a family park, with a complaint about prices. To me this is a fair assessment of the park. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PREMiERdrum Posted July 13, 2010 Share Posted July 13, 2010 In response to Alluna, I guess articles like this are subject to interpretation. I read it and thought the author was sharing a positive impression of Kings Island as a family park, with a complaint about prices. To me this is a fair assessment of the park. That's how I read it too... For a relatively short piece, though, a good bit of it was dedicated to debate of the value proposition. She found out what most of us believe about the park: It's a charming, beautiful place with unique experiences and attractions that, as the years go on, presents itself as a poorer value to the customer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dieseltech20 Posted July 13, 2010 Share Posted July 13, 2010 And if the quality matched the prices... we wouldn't complain so loudly. Poor quality + Outrageously inflated prices = Unhappy guests. That is the reason I have given up on most all fast food. It all bland garbage and unless you get the drink yourself be prepared for a giant cup of ice with a couple shots of Coke in it. Sit down restaurants are slowly becoming worse as well. The pizza at the park is great and I haven't had a bad burger yet. That said, prices are having an effect as most everyone I saw at the park this afternoon had a hand stamp. I'm willing to bet most all of them have a cooler in the parking lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted July 13, 2010 Author Share Posted July 13, 2010 But Mr. Kinzel has many times noted people "have to eat." He's banking on it. I have a feeling this may be the year per caps surprise even him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedarPointer Posted July 13, 2010 Share Posted July 13, 2010 Well, walk by any food stand during lunch or dinnertime and the lines are pretty long. For being so horrible and overpriced and terrible and awful, there sure are a lot of people waiting in line to buy food... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Evans Posted July 13, 2010 Share Posted July 13, 2010 Hrm. I think it was sloppy, but I'm hoping it was a blog post... not a bonafide article. The focus of this story is first, all about the height of her kids. It's a cute way to intro the story, but come on. Then she says she was worried there wouldn't be enough for them to do, even after, 5 paragraphs later, discovering how tall they were. Was she unable to log onto the KI site? It is quite possible to know every single ride your kid can fit on before leaving the house. The comparison to Coney is absurd. She didn't say anything about the value of Boomerang Bay for the kids. There is so much for kids to do there. We spend hours alone running under that giant dumping bucket. Then she talks price. Or tries to. If your family is on budget, then why are you eating full meals in the park, buying the photos, using the family dryer and getting the faces painted? Is there no way for this woman to avoid spending money on things that she deems overpriced? I think that the typical family doesn't do it all in one visit. Either I buy everyone a round of ice cream, or I stand in the family dryer and get the kids faces painted. It's give and take at a park, just like in real life. Of course, if I spent money on everything in sight, I'd be complaining about prices, too! I just find it hard to believe that they went here with saving money in mind, then went ahead and spent money on whatever they wanted. Common sense would dictate that you do what you can afford, which is what everyone else in the park is doing. Nobody sweeps through the park buying up all their ride photos, getting their faces painted (I'm a pro face painter, those are fair prices, btw), the whole nine yards unless they aren't concerned with a budget.It sounds to me like she had plenty of money to burn, but tried to relate the article to an audience that might not. I think what I really didn't like was that it ended on a sour note with me. Why not mention the benefits of getting two parks for one price? What about cheaper meal options than sitting down for burgers and fries? Did she mention the fireworks show? The Starlight experience? I really wish that this writer would have done her homework before visiting the park. It isn't very difficult to find a lot of tips online (some of which I've put up there myself) on how to save money if you are visiting the park while spending conservatively. She could have followed up her cost complaints with lots of juicy tips on how the average park goer from TN could save money along the way.... Every family is on a budget, some just admit it earlier than others. Bottom line is that Kings Island's food prices are out of line for the marketplace and greatly over priced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted July 13, 2010 Author Share Posted July 13, 2010 Well, walk by any food stand during lunch or dinnertime and the lines are pretty long. For being so horrible and overpriced and terrible and awful, there sure are a lot of people waiting in line to buy food... Or, not enough staff to be able to serve the people in line. There is no doubt many food service people work very hard at the park. But those lines move very, very slowly....encouraging yet more people to eat outside the park next time... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedarPointer Posted July 13, 2010 Share Posted July 13, 2010 From what I've observed, they tend to look longer than they really are. Your mileage may vary, but I haven't had a bad experience yet... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alluna Posted July 13, 2010 Share Posted July 13, 2010 I agree on the overpriced food. Like the $6 six inch instead of a $5 footlong at the Subway in Coney Island. Gotta laugh at that one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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