Kings Island 2014 Discussion Thread

[medford]

Park was pretty packed yesterday, lines for the $1 pizza were crazy long, thank goodness for the all season dining plan, made the dining option that much easier (or quicker). Dogging rain drops isn't fun, and we had to find shelter for a little bit, but well worth it for that ride on The Beast with the track still kicking up water off the track. I don't know if it runs faster after a good rain, but it always "feels" faster.

When we were leaving, there was somebody starring up at Drop Tower (about 4:00 pm). I figured they were just waiting to watch it, but they stood there for what felt like a longer period than you'd expect so as we approached them, I turned to see what they were looking at when they told me the ride was "stuck" at the top. I didn't quite believe him, but sure enough after standing there well over a minute the ride was still at the top with people aboard. Probably several more minutes before we got to our car, when the ride finally dropped; I figure those riders had to be up there for at least 5 min. maybe longer (which I'm sure some loved, and I'm sure for some it will be their last ride on that. Don't know what the problem was, for all I know it could have been held up there for something completely unrelated to the ride. Since we were leaving, I have no idea if they had it back and running right away, before the night was done or if it was done for the day.

Overall a muggy, wet, packed day, but always worth the time.

[Thrill_Biscuit]

It was running again later in the day.

I was on the Eiffel Tower when I and many guests were looking over at Drop Tower, talking about how long it had been 'stuck' up there. It was very windy up there, which made me appreciate what they must've been going through.

I wondered if they'd get stuck in a rain storm.

Then I wondered, "If they do get stuck in a rain storm, and then the ride drops, how cool would it be to see rain falling while you're falling, too?"

Then I wondered, "Do they get a courtesy countdown before the drop, given that they'd been up there for so long?"

Then I smelled Funnel Cake and had to go.

[shark6495]

"Man this is the longest pause whenever."

"Dude, I hate this ride, I did the county thing you said, and we are still here"

"Be cool dude"

5 minutes later

"so then I was like.. ahhhhhhhhh"

[jcgoble3]

From Kings Island Expo on Facebook:

Kings Island has a fountain that's friendly for water bottles. Located at the Bathrooms next to the Chicken Shack. More will be put in soon.

The post also has a photo of the fountain, but Facebook is defeating my attempts to embed it here. I will instead present my own photo of an identical one at Kentucky Kingdom:

[Aaron88stang]

I tried to get two different fountains at KK to fill up my free bottle I got with my season pass and neither would work. I am not sure if it was something about that bottle or if they just were both broken.

[BoddaH1994]

I'm going to start a topic for the water refill thing. I think it constitutes its own discussion.

[Magenta Lizard]

About a week after the delivery of my copies of R. L. Stine's The Beast and The Beast 2 I bought off of eBay (thanks to the forum member who made me aware of their existence, sorry I forget who), I was amazed to see this awesome t-shirt on the $5 rack at the discount store in Coney Mall. What I found even more amazing was the similar tagline on the shirt's "comic book" and the first book (which says "Is the roller coaster really haunted?")

Even though they're only loosely related to KI, the books made a nice segue into the Haunt season.

Right now I am finally sitting down to watch the Roller Ghoster episode of Ghost Hunters. I keep getting confused every time I see Son of Beast, because other than three visits (two during the operation of SoB, but visiting with a non-coaster-rider, and the third when it was SBNO) I hadn't been to KI for about fifteen years before this summer. This despite innumerable visits before that, and at least 20 this year. So everything is really familiar except SoB.

[homestar92]

^And for some of us, the park looks very different WITHOUT it.

In 2013, it was not necessarily "bad" different or "good" different, just different.

Though the thing that went where it once stood is definitely a good different in my book.

[The Interpreter]

Just imagine how different the park looks to those of us who were there the first public day.

Life goes on. Some things are better, some are not, some are not as good. Such is life.

[shark6495]

Thought this was appropriate.

I stopped going to KI around the time I went to college. I kept in contact with the park through either here or KIE (not sure if I was official over here at the time. Just checked, nope wasnt). I had grown bored with KI. It was a place with little things, and I was a big bad college student ready to change the world. Around 2008, my wife and I bought season passes and went a total of 2-3 times. Maybe. Just was not what we were wanting. The park wasnt as exciting. Etc. I then moved away.

Then I had my son. I am now seeing the park through his eyes. I am experiencing things I forgot how to experience. I am falling back in love with the park. I am watching shows, taking a moment to share ice-cream, etc. I some times feel like I am cheating by riding a big ride while my wife watches him or vice versa. But most of the time, I get to experience the park through him. He gets to see Snoopy, and we all clap. We all dance with CHarlie Brown. Its amazing.


So has anyone else ever experienced this? The growing apart from the park to only have the fire reignited by the youth of a child?

[Magenta Lizard]

I'm developing a knitting pattern to make a hat for myself. It will have a cable running around my head that looks like a roller coaster. What I think will really sell it as a coaster is if I can get a small pin that looks like a coaster car or train that I can attach next to the "track."

It's driving me crazy that I can't just go to KI and look in the shops for myself to see if such a thing is available. I know I've seen small enameled tack pins for sale, but haven't paid enough attention to know if there is anything like what I want. I also haven't quite been able to find something representational of a roller coaster car or train online (at least nothing that doesn't also have a track as part of the design). I may end up needing to use a pin of an automobile or train engine instead.

This is the sample I've been working out my pattern on, it's not the final color or anything, but gives an idea. The lizard pin is standing in for the coaster pin I want.

[APE]

It was running again later in the day.

I was on the Eiffel Tower when I and many guests were looking over at Drop Tower, talking about how long it had been 'stuck' up there. It was very windy up there, which made me appreciate what they must've been going through.

I wondered if they'd get stuck in a rain storm.

Then I wondered, "If they do get stuck in a rain storm, and then the ride drops, how cool would it be to see rain falling while you're falling, too?"

Then I wondered, "Do they get a courtesy countdown before the drop, given that they'd been up there for so long?"

Then I smelled Funnel Cake and had to go.

I have been on DT in the rain both during the day and at night. It is indeed cool dropping with the rain. Even more so at night with the bright lights shining up.

[medford]

I know exactly how you felt, though I never moved away (or at least away enough to not be w/n an hours ride of KI tops) Went a bunch as a kid, even had a season pass for a few years, went regularly in HS, then once in college, only went sporadically, maybe a few times. After college a went a few times with my then girlfriend, now wife and her family, but only 1x a year, then didn't go for a few seasons, then our son turned 2, we bought season passes, and its a whole new experience. Each season, as more of the park opens up to him, the better it gets, its like being a kid again and knowing that you have a season or two seasons of growth to experience the thrill. I get it, I totally get it.

[Guest dtk1376]

Thought this was appropriate.

I stopped going to KI around the time I went to college. I kept in contact with the park through either here or KIE (not sure if I was official over here at the time. Just checked, nope wasnt). I had grown bored with KI. It was a place with little things, and I was a big bad college student ready to change the world. Around 2008, my wife and I bought season passes and went a total of 2-3 times. Maybe. Just was not what we were wanting. The park wasnt as exciting. Etc. I then moved away.

Then I had my son. I am now seeing the park through his eyes. I am experiencing things I forgot how to experience. I am falling back in love with the park. I am watching shows, taking a moment to share ice-cream, etc. I some times feel like I am cheating by riding a big ride while my wife watches him or vice versa. But most of the time, I get to experience the park through him. He gets to see Snoopy, and we all clap. We all dance with CHarlie Brown. Its amazing.

So has anyone else ever experienced this? The growing apart from the park to only have the fire reignited by the youth of a child?

I know how you feel. I used to go all the time all through grade school up to graduating high school. Got to college and didn't have time between work, school, and cheap friends. Then got married to a woman who had a medical condition keeping her from riding rollercoasters. Had a child and got divorced. Now with my child I am seeing all the things she is seeing for the first time. It had been so long since I had been to Kings Island that last year was the first time I had seen Diamondback running. The last time I had been to Kings Island I believe was one of the last years that The Crypt was still running, that funky time period between Kings Island being owned by Paramount and Cedar Fair. Those last few visits then really turned me off from the park, but when I returned after all those years it was like a fire was re-ignited and now my daughter is almost to the height she can ride the 48" rides and I can't wait.

[homestar92]

I didn't even start liking amusement parks until 2010.

I do sometimes get bored of Kings Island, but I've found a good balance. I go to other parks and I enjoy them. But Kings Island is my home park, and it's like a safe haven for me. I've found that the more parks I go to, the less I care about the rides at Kings Island, but the more I love simply being there. I could go to the park and just walk around all day and have a great time. The park itself will always be special to me, even if the rides become stale and boring (which starts to happen every year around late August, but by April, I'm raring to go back).

[jcgoble3]

I didn't even start liking amusement parks until 2010.

I do sometimes get bored of Kings Island, but I've found a good balance. I go to other parks and I enjoy them. But Kings Island is my home park, and it's like a safe haven for me. I've found that the more parks I go to, the less I care about the rides at Kings Island, but the more I love simply being there. I could go to the park and just walk around all day and have a great time. The park itself will always be special to me, even if the rides become stale and boring (which starts to happen every year around late August, but by April, I'm raring to go back).

Are you sure you're not my identical twin brother? Because every single word of this post describes me exactly. Even the opening statement gives the correct year for me.

[The Interpreter]

It also changes your perspective when you suddenly live much, much further away from the park.

That old saw, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder"? It's like every day is the off-season when you live ten hours away...

[BoddaH1994]

Not me. I go to parks every once in a while. By the end of the day, I just wish I was at Kings Island.

[BavarianBeatle]

2014.... The year that KI employees were kept busy measuring children who grew to 48 inches tall in August in order to make their parents pay for an adult pass for the entire season and accused parents of forgery in order to prevent disabled children from riding roller coasters they had ridden in 2013, while failing to apprehend two women from Kentucky who robbed 30 lockers while the employees were busy doing so......

[Tanna]

I'm developing a knitting pattern to make a hat for myself. It will have a cable running around my head that looks like a roller coaster. What I think will really sell it as a coaster is if I can get a small pin that looks like a coaster car or train that I can attach next to the "track."

It's driving me crazy that I can't just go to KI and look in the shops for myself to see if such a thing is available. I know I've seen small enameled tack pins for sale, but haven't paid enough attention to know if there is anything like what I want. I also haven't quite been able to find something representational of a roller coaster car or train online (at least nothing that doesn't also have a track as part of the design). I may end up needing to use a pin of an automobile or train engine instead.

This is the sample I've been working out my pattern on, it's not the final color or anything, but gives an idea. The lizard pin is standing in for the coaster pin I want.

I totally love this pattern. I mostly knit socks because the are portable, I can fit my knitting in a pocket of my KI pants - and I'm knitting socks in ride colors, but this pattern absolutely takes the Theme Park Knit cake!

[homestar92]

I can confirm that at least the blue Gerstlauer train from Son of Beast is still on the property. A couple of the cars from it are now a Haunt prop.

[homestar92]

Hello, what's all this then?

[beastfan11]

That's where they're putting the new/old Flying Eagles.

Maybe.

Edit: Terrible spelling.

[coasterfanatic83]

Regarding the amusement park apathy discussion...

For me, I feel like I almost take parks for granted during the summer. I attend, and I have fun. I like going, but I'm not crazy about it. However, as soon as November 3rd gets here, all I will want to do is go to a park. I will think about it and miss it all the time.

I think it is just the idea of wanting what you can't have, and once you can have it, you don't want it as much.

[BeastForever]

I can confirm that at least the blue Gerstlauer train from Son of Beast is still on the property. A couple of the cars from it are now a Haunt prop.

I've always loved these kinds of props...

(Not my photo, KIExtreme's, taken in 2007)

[Bennett]

Hello, what's all this then?

Safe to say they did all that concrete work for a reason? I know it won't be "our" Eagles, but, a copy of the new ones at CP would suffice...

[homestar92]

Hello, what's all this then?

(pic)

Safe to say they did all that concrete work for a reason? I know it won't be "our" Eagles, but, a copy of the new ones at CP would suffice...

The area has been in use all season as an employee break area. But to pave an actual concrete path from the midway... Something's up. And it isn't a Haunt. We know where the new Haunts for this year will be. Plus, it didn't have the neon spider sign that indicates a Haunt entrance, and all the others did.

However, if this were related to a set of Eagles, or any other potential 2015 attraction, it would be insane to lay that path now. Obviously, it is a task that takes less than two weeks, as evidenced by its not being there when last the park was open to the public. I feel like there may be a Halloween surprise in store perhaps...

EDIT: Queue line for the new Haunt in the Coney Arcade? That seems the most logical now that I think of it. They still have a week to get signage up, so just because it wasn't today doesn't mean it won't be...

[The Interpreter]

Drive safely!

"How quickly they forget."

[LordSkippy]

Drive safely!

"How quickly they forget."

Antique Cars?

No, I got it - Thunder Alley. Definitely Thunder Alley.

[Spectrum91]

EDIT: Queue line for the new Haunt in the Coney Arcade? That seems the most logical now that I think of it. They still have a week to get signage up, so just because it wasn't today doesn't mean it won't be...

This.

It's the easiest place to queue up guests for Kill Mart without flooding the midway. And it's a stone's throw away from the Arcade, so the queue could be wrapped behind the ICEE stand and into the building.