Do we NEED Fast Lane passes?

[rollercoastertn]

My husband and I are planning a last-minute, kid-free getaway next week to Kings Island. We have never been to KI before, always Cedar Point but don't want to make the long drive from Tennessee. We plan to get a starlight pass Monday night then spend the day on Tuesday. Will we regret not splurging for Fast Lane passes on a Tuesday? We don't mind waiting 10-20 minutes for a roller coaster or 30-45 minutes for a couple of the best. I just don't want to spend an hour in line for every single ride.

[standbyme]

No one knows if the park will be busy that day...weather affects turnout. If you are considering buying them I would say wait until you see what the crowds are like. Being that it is a Tuesday you probably won't need them....but if you do, since it is a Tuesday they wouldn't be selling out fast.

[matthunterross]

I personally don't think you'll be waiting in any line for 30-45 minutes on a Tuesday, but I do know that with the Pass you'll most likely be able to just walk on every single ride with Fast Lane. That frees up a ton of time that you can relax doing other things around the park (esp if you're planning on going to the waterpark...or riding the big rides multiple times). If you have the cash and don't mind spending it, I'd say do it - those kid-free days are important!

[rollercoastertn]

Thank you! So you can buy the passes in the park if they don't sell out? That's helpful.

On another note, is the water park worth squeezing in?

[jdawg1998]

If you're really hot and want to cool of, you should go to the water park. If you don't care about the heat, I would skip it. There's nothing special about it.

[standbyme]

Yes the passes are available at the park.

[BB1]

Yes, its nothing to compare to DollyWood's waterpark (thinking you already have been there). Just a H20 bowl, a "annoying" river, a few colored slides, and a few wavepools, one wavepool makes you get hit by people in tubes.

[CoasterGeek101]

Nobody needs Fast Passes. Nobody needs to go to Kings Island.

But, since everyone would like Fast Passes to skip the line, its up to you. The lines shouldnt be any longer than 40 minutes which is for Flight of Fear and Firehawk.

[kingsrattler]

^^But yet you have a ride count of the amount of times you rode the water rides there last year?

As others have said, there's no way to predict how busy the park will be, but my best guess would be a day on the slower side. The big coasters might see a half hour wait, but a lot of the other rides will probably be a station wait.

The water park has a lot to offer, but does not have anything to completely wow you. They did receive a new wave pool this year that is supposed to produce larger waves, so if wave surfing is your thing, that might be something to do to go cool off for a little bit, especially with how hot it has been.

But most importantly... Enjoy your first trip to Kings Island!!!

[fanofFirehawk]

correct me if I'm wrong (and this is just a suggestion) I belive it would be cheaper(or a better deal) to get a two day ticket instead of one starlight pass and a normal ticket.

P.S. Fast Lane is up to you but on monday you could spend 10 minutes at guest services and ask them about their projestions for tuesday.

buy tickets online and if its is raining you probably shouldn't buy Fast Lane. I know from personal experience.

[medford]

I wouldn't anticipate the Fast Lane helping all the much on a tuesday. Heck, on a monday night, you'll be able to get in all the major rides. Unless your goal is to ride as much as possible, the lines shouldn't be too long for anything.

I'd recommend hitting up both The Beast and Diamonback once the sun goes down. As long as your in line by 10:00, you're get a ride. Beware however, The Beast shuts down around 9:45 until the fireworks end (I believe their launched from somewhere behind the ride, which is why they close it). Take care of those monday night, that way if you decide you want to leave early on tuesday you won't have to worry about missing out on the best experience in the park (IMHO), a night ride on The Beast.

If Invertigo is running Monday evening, I'd hope on that as well, seems like operation has been spotty at times this season so it could run monday night and be down a significant portion of tuesday. the wait can be a little longer as the load time is slow, so don't use that as your gauge for a fast pass or not. Its also worth a walk back to Firehawk to see what the lines look like back there. If there's not much of a wait, it also has a slow load time and would be worth jumping on monday evening.

tuesday morning, get back to Firehawk early before it loads up, then you should be good to go the rest of the day.

[Original]

Weekdays (exept friday afternoon) are usally a no-wait day. We usally go on thursdays and we hit up all the minor, and major rides in 5 minuets or less. Weekends are the ones you have to watch out for. I have seen up to a 3 1/2 hour wait on the weekends for The Beast. I suggest that you dont get Fast Lane passes. Save the money for a weekend trip.

[Diamondbill]

I was there yesterday and it was the biggest crowd I've seen during the week. Diamondback was posted as 30 minute wait actually took 15 minutes, The Beast was posted as 30 minutes and took 35 one time and 45 another. Vortex was lined out of the station I don't know how long that wait was and WindSeeker was pretty full. You can buy passes several places in the park so check out the waits first.

[xXDrummerKiDXx]

Here's how I see it:

Fast Passes are cool yes. But me nor my friends are impatient. We waited 2 hours for Firehawk this past Saturday. We like to talk though.

If you are impatient, it's worth it on like a Saturday, a Friday, and SOME Wednesdays. Any other day, I wouldn't waste 55 dollars for it

[Jr for Birdy]

My wife and I went to KI without the kids this year,and we bought fastlane just because of the heat. She will not ride coasters with me if its hot and she has to stand in line,so i had to do what i had to do! The lines were only 20 minutes on average,but it really was well worth the money! I was never a fan of fastlane,but it makes a hot day a much cooler day if you know what i mean! If you go to Soak City check out Pipeline Paradise,even if you dont want to ride its fun to watch people wipeout!

[jdawg1998]

I honestly would just wait and see; maybe wait an hour into the day and see how the crowds are. If you're already sick of the crowds (which I highly doubt) get Fast Lane. If it's empty at the park, don't get them.

[Tanna]

I was there yesterday and it was the biggest crowd I've seen during the week. Diamondback was posted as 30 minute wait actually took 15 minutes, The Beast was posted as 30 minutes and took 35 one time and 45 another. Vortex was lined out of the station I don't know how long that wait was and WindSeeker was pretty full. You can buy passes several places in the park so check out the waits first.

Yes, I've seen FastPass booths around the park. I've also been as lucky as DiamondBill, and this was on a Friday. I guess it depends on what else you could be doing with that thirty minutes wait time.

If you don't feel like dealing with the extras of swimwear, bags, extra clothes, etc., I'd suggest forgoing the water park, as there is the Wild Water Canyon if you want to get soaked, and also a log flume ride, that's breezy and the slight mist from the water can cool you off.

[rollercoastertn]

Thank you so much, everyone! I haven't been to Dollywood or the water park there (that's actually where my kids will be while I'm at KI). I haven't been to a water park in over 20 years. I'll skip it again.

My husband and I would probably like the time spent waiting in line to talk and relax....we have a 4 and 5 year old. Standing in a line in 90 degree weather without hearing "mommy. mommy. mommy. mommy" sounds extremely relaxing to me.

I'll look into the price of the 2 day passes vs. the starlight and one day. You may be right about that!

[Tanna]

To be honest, I enjoy my wait in line. There's no distractions like computers or TV to alter the conversation. Some of my best memories are laughing fits we've had waiting for a ride.

But also, I'm a season pass holder, so I can bip by for a few hours a night, catch a few rides, maybe a show, and return next week for another round. KI for me is a break, not a destination, as it is in your case.

[XjoshhyX]

I pretty much only go Mondays and Tuesdays, and if you ask me I say no to Fast Lane. It's extra money that you won't need to spend when the average wait for a ride like DB tends to be 30-40. The longest I've waited for DB this season was 50 because it had to shut down to move a car into the storage area for repairs.

[The Interpreter]

It all depends. What would the poster do with most of those 40 minutes otherwise used to wait? If more rides are the desire, is it worth the Fast Lane cost? Individual answers and circumstances differ. Each Joe and Jane will decide about Fast Lane.