One of the toll booths is being built currently! I didn't take a picture as I was focused on driving,  but I'll try to get one when it's finished this weekend. Only twelve more to go!

Just took my season pass survey for 2015. I think they're going to get a lot of good data from it. 

 

And for Terp's (and my tired feet) sakes, I requested Trams.

I took it too. I made a few suggestions but the one dearest to my heart is a season-long drink plan on the pass, so I don't need to carry the cup.

I made it pretty clear in my survey that 30+ minute wait times for "fast" food is not acceptable.

I also took the survey. Made my displeasure for the food quality known and also requested that they start focusing on the "small stuff" that made the park more than just another seasonal park. I'm sure it'll fall on deaf ears (maybe not uncaring ears, but powerless to effect any meaningful change) since corporate synergy is all the rage right now.

 

Fingers crossed though! I will say it was nice to see a survey sent out though, I may be wrong but it seems like it's been a while and they asked a lot of good questions.

One good thing about the new parking toll booths will be having modern restrooms for a change or I hope they though of the employee's personal needs.  

Picture from the edge of the Great Wolf Lodge parking lot:

^ For those who complain that they miss Son of Beast, they can get their rough ride with an uninspired layout fix by taking a few laps through the parking lot!

That was intended for me, good one.

Thanks for the pic, Goble. I was interested to see where exactly the tolls would go!  So, will the new exit be the old entrance (where the main tolls were), or do we know that yet? 

I don't know, but it does appear that the light at the north exit will be expanded to include the entrance, as the new entrance road is right next to the existing exit road. It will be nice to finally have a traffic light to aid me in making that left turn into the parking lot.

As I was taking my virtual tour of Kings Island on Google Maps, I noticed something that I had forgot, which was Snoopy Rocks! On Ice!, which as I remember was quite good. I wish they would bring it back, a few years back before that I believe starred Scooby Doo, I wonder if Kings Island is considering doing more ice shows in the future.

I highly doubt it.

The cost of maintaining the ice absorbed way too much of the entertainment budget.

Ice shows seem to travel from various Cedar Fair parks as the circus themed show does and has, and as Ed Alonzo had for a good number of years.

I saw an ice show at Kings Island a number of years ago, and then just last year I think Cedar Point had an ice show, showcasing many of the same skaters, some different ones. Cedar Point's I know for sure was themed to The Peanuts.

I have faith that Kings Island has this new toll booth all figured out, but WOW, will that be a lot of traffic all going into that single entrance.  Will the light for this entrance be at the intersection of (what I think is) the church across from Kings Island and Kings Island Drive?  It is kind of unbelievable that Kings Island has operated all this time without a dedicated light at either entrance.

Picture from the edge of the Great Wolf Lodge parking lot:

I have faith that Kings Island has this new toll booth all figured out, but WOW, will that be a lot of traffic all going into that single entrance.  Will the light for this entrance be at the intersection of (what I think is) the church across from Kings Island and Kings Island Drive?  It is kind of unbelievable that Kings Island has operated all this time without a dedicated light at either entrance.

Picture from the edge of the Great Wolf Lodge parking lot:

CP makes it work. Majority of guest entered throught the south gate, which is no longer. This new parking lot entrance seems to have just combined both gates into one, nothing will change unless managers from food concessions take over.

By CP you don't mean Cedar Point, I take it...

Well they have put it seems enough gates in and a possible better solution for gold pass members to use as well. For the most part except busy days the one gate was hardly ever open as it was. This could really be a much better solution that the current situation is. The exit however will be a bit of a nightmare but it always has been.

Sort of wish they would build an over pass with continuous merge for south band 71 direction exiters and continuous murge only at night for people exiting the Great Wolf side

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Now. I do not have any official plans on what is happening currently... BUT, I believe this is what the intersection may look like with this new enterance. This could be different, I don't know... 



I figured I'd try to give a little bit of help.. I may try contacting the ODOT District 8 to see if they have any plans. that could be reviewed.

Having driven by there today to check it out, your rendition looks pretty similar to what I was seeing there. I was looking while driving so I couldn't really focus super well but that seems to be the gist of it.

So far, I'm pretty happy that the entrance is on the north end of the lot, since that is the way I come from. It was always annoying when the north gate was closed and I had to drive down to the south one. If it is also going to be the only exit, however, I may be cursing the change by the end of next season.

I still have hopes the whole lot will be repaved, and relined, even though there were no signs of that when I was there. Since they made such a big deal about the new parking gates at the 2016 reveal, I have to assume they are not going to leave the lot beyond the gates in the state it has been.

I don't have any hope for trams, though. As much as I would like them.

I have to wonder if the issue of employee safety is what really ended the trams.   This is a much different world than in 1972 ( as well as up to and including whatever year they ended the trams).

I think it may have been guest safety, actually. From what I remember, there were no seat belts, and people jumped on and off while the tram was moving, albeit moving slowly.

I always sort of wondered if an injury was what stopped the trams, but I've never heard anything. They disappeared in the years I wasn't going to the park, so I'm not even sure when it happened. It could easily have been the threat of liability if anything did go wrong, like if the tram ever tangled with a car, tram passengers could have easily been seriously injured.

...And yet, Dollywood, the Ohio State Fair, Kentucky State Fair, Busch Gardens, Disney, many Six Flags...

Disney uses teams safely and efficiently year round. Granted, they are more or less masters at moving people from place to place (The entire Walt Disney World Transportation System is a good example."

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I can't recall people standing up or trying to hop on/off the tram while it was moving at all. It may have happened, but it likely was not the reason for their disappearance. Someone probably decided the cost of operating them was an unnecessary expense. Meanwhile you can't take the rent-able strollers or wheelchairs out of the park and there's no way to get up to the front entrance in a vehicle to drop people off or pick them up (though this is partly for safety reasons).

A few more views from Kings Island drive. (And I wasn't driving)

Does anybody know where I can find a commercial with Dick Van Dyke for Kings Island, I can only find videos of him for Kings Dominion, like this one for example,

Does anybody know where the ones for Kings Island are?

King Kobra my foot, that is Carowinds' White Lightnin' I guess even KECO reused footage.

^

I was waiting for that.

I would think that the Park would had consulted with traffic engineers and the City of Mason as to the traffic flow going into  the new parking toll entrances and to make it as efficient as possible.  

So, this becomes the new entrance, as well as an exit, also?

So, this becomes the new entrance, as well as an exit, also?

 

It appears so, yes.