The Interpreter Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 The very poorly handled incidents at KK this year have only reinforced the urban park\inner city clientele image. The Speedo thing. The breastfeeding incident. The access\disability problems. The park's exceedingly poor responses made things worse, not better. The park desperately needs a new PR/management team. 2015 is pivotal. And that great Kentucky Fest known as the State Fair is yet to come. So many opportunities to excel. Or not. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkroz Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 I think the park ought to close for a day and have every employee - from Mr. Hart down - attend a huge training seminar / community-building experience. The weirdest thing about all these snafus is that employees aren't trained (which the park admits, hoping that'll be a defense? What?) yet all have some weird empowerment thing going on where they approach customers. Like, we wish that Kings Island employees would say something to smokers, or at least mention it to someone who can. At Kentucky Kingdom, these admittedly untrained employees are proud to go up to breastfeeding mothers, or disabled patrons, or folks in unusual swimwear and say something. It's all very odd. (Though to be fair, the trip reports I've read from you all say they mosey right past smokers...) It seems like they hired a young crop of locals, which is fine and good and wonderful in many ways. But no one knows the hierarchy or the structure or the rules or the laws, maybe not even Ed Hart himself. A day of the employees building relationships and learning the structure and learning their role vs. someone else's role would be very helpful. And if Mr. Hart is to make a success of the place, that may mean some tough love and a few moments where he stands in front of all of his workers and says, "You are representing me. You are representing my brand." 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 Perhaps that is exactly what they ARE doing. In reality, they ARE. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkroz Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 How do you shape a team into a family? How do you empower your employees while keeping them in line with the necessary hierarchy of power? How do you convince workers that their attitude is contagious, as are their behaviors? How do you keep them lively and energetic while reminding them that their actions reflect in a major way? How do you take a bunch of local kids and convince them to treat this place like it's home? And unlike Kings Island where last year's returning employees can help guide the new generation, everyone is new this year. Except Mr. Hart, I guess. But if he's content doing things the way he did in the 1990s, budget included, then he may as well be new, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westcoaster Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 To a bright future for the park, negativity aside I think Kentucky Kingdom can survive. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoraX Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 Kentucky Kingdom truly makes me want to go there in a Speedo, breastfeed a baby while sitting in a wheelchair. The visual is disturbing. Thankfully, I can only do two out of three things. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedevariouseffect Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 They almost made me buy a mankini 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTW Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 It rolls down hill... The good and the bad. If your leadership is weak and/or uninformed it will show at all levels. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outdoor Man Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 three responses... and deleted them all. short opinion: the three instances being turned over repeatedly here... much ado about nothing. Yes, the Kentucky Kingdom Management Team would likely be playing ball for a "AA" team- the real test will be how are the bumps of 2014 improved in 2015. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 I can assure you the ADA/access issues were and are FAR from "much ado about nothing." I invite you to take a wheelchair bound guest to the park. To start with, to this day, there is no call button, automatic door or any other way for a quadriplegic guest to get in Swampwater Jack's without waiting for a more abled guest or park employee to happen along to help. There are barrier issues throughout the park, many created in the past year. Much ado about nothing? I think not. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedevariouseffect Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 Nor should ADA issues happen in this day and age..we're better than that 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thekidd33 Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 I don't doubt that Mr. Hart has no intention of owning the park long term but here is my question...who on earth does he think is going to buy it? You can eliminate Disney, Universal, and the Busch/Sea World groups immediately. I can't see Cedar Fair or Six Flags buying new properties anytime soon. Hart made a public spectical of bashing the Koch family. So that leaves who exactly? Herschend? Some new operator? The Commonwealth of Kentucky? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shark6495 Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 Not to mention the height issues and the whole we don't own all of the land thing..... This seems more and more like Americana.... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 Maybe he will try to talk his "so-called" employees into an ESOP! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thekidd33 Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 Now that I would watch. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcgoble3 Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 Spent four and a half hours at KK today. That was enough to ride pretty much every major ride in both the dry park and waterpark. The only ride on which I encountered a nontrivial wait was Lightning Run, which was a ten-minute wait. Everything else was walk-ons or nearly so. Getting in could have been handled better. First, 15 minutes before the park opens, and you only have one ticket window open? Really? Then, when they say that the park opens at 11:00, they mean that they do not open the gate until 11:00. I wore my new Thunderbird shirt, and several ride ops commented on it (all who did were excited about it). Otherwise, though, the staff in general came off to me as unenthusiastic and unenergetic. Given the park's urban setting, I was surprised that the choice of music for the entire park was country. Having heard about the park's past under Six Flags, I was also impressed by the lack of poor guest behavior, which likely was the result of the large number and high visibility of "public safety officers" (essentially security). Overall, I give Kentucky Kingdom a D+. They haven't failed yet, but several things need improvement, and the road ahead is steep and uphill all the way. And yes, I rode Deep Water Dive. The trapdoor has a window in it so you can see how far you have to fall. I got in, looked down... and had no second thoughts whatsoever. And the drop was awesome. Transmitted from Wild Space via my datapad's DROID brain 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outdoor Man Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 I can assure you the ADA/access issues were and are FAR from "much ado about nothing." I invite you to take a wheelchair bound guest to the park. To start with, to this day, there is no call button, automatic door or any other way for a quadriplegic guest to get in Swampwater Jack's without waiting for a more abled guest or park employee to happen along to help. There are barrier issues throughout the park, many created in the past year. Much ado about nothing? I think not. I redact a third of my comment. i knew there were three issues, I forgot the ADA issue... you're right on that one. Re-apply my previous comment for the other two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedevariouseffect Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 You sound like a politician 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MantisMan Posted July 26, 2014 Share Posted July 26, 2014 Lightning Run Did you like it? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RailRider Posted July 26, 2014 Share Posted July 26, 2014 If you truly want to eliminate the urban environment of your park change the pricing strategy. If you want a Summer baby sitting location, keep your pricing strategy as is. Once again you have operated in this market, you should know better. A park could make a great splash by purchasing Lightning Run and Time Machine from the used rides inter webs for a reasonable investment in the next few years. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kumar123 Posted July 26, 2014 Share Posted July 26, 2014 Ive been to Kentucky Kingdom alot of times and they really done a great job with the park. No negative thoughts over here if there was I would not be writing anything got better things to do then diss a park for years on a forum thats not even in my area. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcgoble3 Posted July 26, 2014 Share Posted July 26, 2014 Lightning Run Did you like it? Yes! I rode in the very back row. Despite the fact that the rules on Lightning Run basically require you to be stapled, it had quite a bit of nice ejector airtime. And unlike Magnum, said airtime was not painful. If I had had time for repeat rides, Lightning Run would have been first on that list. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted July 26, 2014 Share Posted July 26, 2014 Ive been to Kentucky Kingdom alot of times and they really done a great job with the park. No negative thoughts over here if there was I would not be writing anything got better things to do then diss a park for years on a forum thats not even in my area. A. Welcome (back?) to KIC. B. I hope you continue to enjoy the park in whatever "so-called" capacity. C. No time to criticize the park, but time enough to join a forum to criticize forum users who do. Odd that. 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LovinMeSomeBanshee Posted July 26, 2014 Share Posted July 26, 2014 Ive been to Kentucky Kingdom alot of times and they really done a great job with the park. No negative thoughts over here if there was I would not be writing anything got better things to do then diss a park for years on a forum thats not even in my area. A. Welcome (back?) to KIC. B. I hope you continue to enjoy the park in whatever "so-called" capacity. C. No time to criticize the park, but time enough to join a forum to criticize forum users who do. Odd that. Superb. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MantisMan Posted July 26, 2014 Share Posted July 26, 2014 Yes! Ugh....now you're making me want to go. Club gathering in September...hmmmm. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted July 26, 2014 Share Posted July 26, 2014 Go. Seeing a park in its growing stages is not to be missed. Plus, you may never get a second chance. You never KNOW. Terp, who waited...too long...to go to Hard Rock Park. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kumar123 Posted July 26, 2014 Share Posted July 26, 2014 Ha I am a new user and yes I was looking at the forum and made a comment Im not going to keep going back and forth with you as you have with other KK fans over the years... So anyway on subject Kentucky Kingdom's Deep Water Dive is really a thrill you get crazy air time. I was really shocked to see a waterslide so tall due to their height restrictions. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkroz Posted July 26, 2014 Share Posted July 26, 2014 Ha I am a new user and yes I was looking at the forum and made a comment Im not going to keep going back and forth with you as you have with other KK fans over the years... So anyway on subject Kentucky Kingdom's Deep Water Dive is really a thrill you get crazy air time. I was really shocked to see a waterslide so tall due to their height restrictions. Welcome! Back and forth is called "discussion" here. That's what discussion boards are for! When you get a lot of people together who all care greatly about a singular topic, egos clash, ideas clash, and opinions clash. Kentucky Kingdom is a special case, because it's closing and re-opening have been surrounded in controversy to begin with, only made worse by the unfortunate decisions of a few "so-called" employees and the powers that be at the park. Lots of people are waiting for Kentucky Kingdom to fail just to say "I told you so," and no, I don't think that's fair. That said, so far we know that leadership at the park has admitted to ignoring federal ADA guidelines, used their employees lack of training as an excuse, and been represented by individuals who have only reinforced the park's sour reputation in some social aspects. Is discussing that amongst a group of enthusiasts "dissing" the park? I don't think so... And sort of blindly praising the park by saying "no negative thoughts here" is really actually not constructive or thoughtful. Really? Nothing you would change? Nothing the park should do differently, given what you've read here and in the news? When I was a teenager, Kings Island was called Paramount's Kings Island. Through those rosy glasses, I see only myself visiting the park with my friends, TOMB RAIDER: The Ride, working on-board audio, Italian Job, Top Gun, Paramount Story, and that beautiful royal blue mountain logo in front of the sparkling Royal Fountains. Now, a few years wiser and a little more learned in the industry, I can admit that that was also an era of low-quality park entertainment, declining interest from the owner, Six-Flags-level in-park advertisement for outside brands, and a real shift away from the family park Kings Island had been. That's not "dissing" the park. It's looking realistically. It would be a disservice to me and to the park if I said, "Everything is great. No negative thoughts here!" No business is rosy 24/7. No business makes perfect decisions. And like it or not, theme parks are businesses. 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcgoble3 Posted July 26, 2014 Share Posted July 26, 2014 Adding to my earlier summary post (which, incidentally, I typed on my phone while sitting in the Kings Island Theater waiting for Cirque Imagine to start), whoever designed the park map should have their mind forcibly wiped of all knowledge about Kentucky Kingdom and then be required to find every ride entrance using nothing but the park map so that they can understand the horror that they have unleashed. It took me 10 minutes to figure out how to get to Thunder Run, and it was only that short because I gave up and asked an employee for directions. Also, FearFALL is right next to the midway, but the entry or exit gate you would expect to find opening into the midway is not there. Instead both entrance and exit are at the back of the ride, which is only accessible by walking about 100 to 150 feet down the midway to the right, going around and behind a couple of food stands, and walking 150 feet back to the entrance. As far as I saw, there was no signage whatsoever pointing guests in that direction. Both of these are just one example of their respective problems. In short, both the park map and the layout of the park itself are confusing as ****. They could be easily resolved by hiring a different person to design the map and adding a copious amount of directional signage (of which there was almost none), respectively. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted July 26, 2014 Share Posted July 26, 2014 No mention of the bridge! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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