Kings Island 2021 Discussion

[chuck norris]

They probably thought they were safer locked in their friends car than getting lost on a roller coaster. Can't say I haven't seen my family do it.

From the article, it never specially says the keys were LOCKED in the other car.
They were taken from the other car, but I’m wondering if that other car was just unlocked?

It doesn’t justify the theft, but it does make more sense on how a car could have been “broken into” in the preferred lot.


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[chuck norris]

Hearing more rumors of parking lot/pick up lot fights after closing tonight. High police presence. Anyone see /hear anything specific?


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[MDMC01]

16 minutes ago, Snowball said:

I think I talked to you for a brief moment at Busker Jam after the show, you asked me if they’re doing a meet and greet I think. Sorry I couldn’t talk, had some stuff I had to do with some other shows.

Yeah, that was me if it was after the 2:00 show. I did not realize that was you I spoke with; good to see you again! BTW, I love that show - I've seen it 3 times already.

EDIT: Also, in answer to the above - no, I did not hear of any fights; I left right before close (which was 8 PM tonight).

[AnyPancakes]

14 minutes ago, chuck norris said:

Hearing more rumors of parking lot/pick up lot fights after closing tonight. High police presence. Anyone see /hear anything specific?


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This is scuttlebutt from Facebook. So take it with a grin of salt. A fight broke out at the pickup lot. Lots of police showed up. Teens scattered. They had to shut down KI drive because of the scattering. 

[matt112986]

38 minutes ago, chuck norris said:

From the article, it never specially says the keys were LOCKED in the other car.
They were taken from the other car, but I’m wondering if that other car was just unlocked?

It doesn’t justify the theft, but it does make more sense on how a car could have been “broken into” in the preferred lot.


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Makes leaving them a bit sillier but the logic of not needing a locker or worrying about losing them on a ride still remains. Getting my Dad to pay for a locker is harder than pulling a lions teeth!

[King Ding Dong]

2 hours ago, matt112986 said:

Makes leaving them a bit sillier but the logic of not needing a locker or worrying about losing them on a ride still remains. Getting my Dad to pay for a locker is harder than pulling a lions teeth!

Wise and intelligent Dad you have there, I would keep him. There is no need for a locker just for keys.  Have pockets?  All you need is a $0.02 safety pin and you are not going to loose your keys on a ride.  Have an issue with nice roomy cargo shorts?   Well then, I have the product for you.

 

[MDMC01]

That is amazing; did not know those existed! I've used cargo shorts for years. I prefer the kind that use zippers, but I've also used the kind that has deep pockets and has snaps. I even got a new (zipper) pair before the season started just so I could ride Orion (as even before COVID, I was wondering how I'd secure my stuff on-ride as I still used the cargo pants that snap).

[disco2000]

Article doesn't say much about a situation last night (6/12)...but at the same time not every incident is newsworthy...

https://www.wlwt.com/article/police-investigating-unruly-juvenile-behavior-at-kings-island-saturday-park-officials-say/36708876

 

[PKIVortex]

For the ones who like to collect pins. Beast, Orion, Diamondback, Banshee, and Mysic, are selling 2021 I rode it collecters pins at the ride photo booth. 7.99 each and you can use your pass discount. Each pin is located at each rides photo booth.

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[Bwb.32]

On 6/13/2021 at 11:47 AM, disco2000 said:

Article doesn't say much about a situation last night (6/12)...but at the same time not every incident is newsworthy...

https://www.wlwt.com/article/police-investigating-unruly-juvenile-behavior-at-kings-island-saturday-park-officials-say/36708876

 

it seems that article was updated, the link you have still works as it redirects to the updated story, but according to the article 4 juveniles were arrested on Saturday for disorderly conduct (fighting in the drop off pickup area) 
its sad that this is continuing to occur, obviously the park has some work to do in mitigating these issues, perhaps having substantial increases in lighting in the parking lot, security cameras in the parking lot, and clearly security at the drop off pickup area needs either an increase, or rework to make sure this doesn't happen again.

[fyrfyter]

4 minutes ago, Bwb.32 said:

it seems that article was updated, the link you have still works as it redirects to the updated story, but according to the article 4 juveniles were arrested on Saturday for disorderly conduct (fighting in the drop off pickup area) 
its sad that this is continuing to occur, obviously the park has some work to do in mitigating these issues, perhaps having substantial increases in lighting in the parking lot, security cameras in the parking lot, and clearly security at the drop off pickup area needs either an increase, or rework to make sure this doesn't happen again.

It's definitely becoming a weekend evening problem. We don't go to the park on weekends because of the larger crowds alone. If this keeps up, I hope they just go ahead and post a curfew after 4:00PM. No more lone teens in the park. 

I'm sure Mason and other jurisdictions aren't pleased about what continues to happen. 

[Bwb.32]

I agree, I think at this point a chaperone policy is inevitable, but unfortunately this isn't only a "teens fighting at night" problem, this is an overall crime issue. The park really needs to do more than just implementing a chaperone policy, they've got to increase infrastructure as well so that they're not only reactionarily combating these issues, but passively preventing them from happening in the first place.

[JimParker85]

A chaperone policy, reservations required Friday-Sunday and the closure of the drop off area to all non employees are all options they can look at to immediately address these concerns. I know that most people on this site are against those measures for a variety of legitimate reasons, however the public perception of the park can be ruined by these news events/viral videos. It's a very serious issue for the park's future, at least in my opinion.

They have an interesting passholder renewal period coming up for several reasons, as well as decisions to be made on fall and winter operations.

Maintaining the status quo and hoping for the best, other than increasing in park security staff, is a big risk. If something happens that leads to serious injuries or worse after several incidents that have already received media attention, it's going to be very bad. 

[Bwb.32]

They should rent a bunch of those pop up lights with their own generator built in the base for the meantime to increase lighting in the parking lot until they can invest in more permanent lighting. they've used them in the past

[disco2000]

They have had pop up lighting in place at the drop off for a couple weeks...

[King Ding Dong]

7 minutes ago, disco2000 said:

They have had pop up lighting in place at the drop off for a couple weeks...

Probably just providing better lighting for the TikTok videos unfortunately. How crowded does the pickup area get?  Never really payed attention to it.

I guess they could put zip tie cuffs on all the teens until their parents arrived.

[robintodd]

I know it's not probable but I would love to see trams in the parking lot come back.  Granted, it takes away value for preferred parking, but it would help with less pedestrians in the parking lot and also provide supervision of the parking lot as well as the drop off area.  

I would think that a company would be interested in providing a discount/paying for electric trams that could be used.  It may mean more employees, but right now it seems you need security guards out at the "parent drop-off (terrible name:))" area either way.  It would also be a nice nod back to the opening of KI.

As a bonus they could use ones without as many cars to transport people to and from Great Wolf Lodge and Camp Cedar.

Just my 2 cents.

[FUN&ONLY!]

I will admit that I am strongly against a chaperone policy, so I am probably a little biased. But, isn’t what happened this past Saturday a sign that Kings Island’s new safety policies are working? The teens who were harassing the man and his son were quickly taken care of and the problem ended. The park had control. Earlier this year, they did not have control when the fighting broke out, so in my opinion, this is proof the new safety measures are working.

[Shawn Meyer]

1 hour ago, FUN&ONLY! said:

Earlier this year, they did not have control when the fighting broke out, so in my opinion, this is proof the new safety measures are working.

Is it possible that Kings Island could work with Mason police to patrol that particular area? That might scare the teens off. Also this is a dumb suggestion for the teens. If I was a teenager, and I saw these warnings around the park and parking lot, wouldn't it be best to pick a fight somewhere off property? If it were me, I'd find an abandoned property and fight there. But since I'm older now, I would suggest they install a couple cameras; maybe have extra security to patrol certain areas such as the drop off area.

[chuck norris]

I know it's not probable but I would love to see trams in the parking lot come back.  Granted, it takes away value for preferred parking, but it would help with less pedestrians in the parking lot and also provide supervision of the parking lot as well as the drop off area.  
I would think that a company would be interested in providing a discount/paying for electric trams that could be used.  It may mean more employees, but right now it seems you need security guards out at the "parent drop-off (terrible name:))" area either way.  It would also be a nice nod back to the opening of KI.
As a bonus they could use ones without as many cars to transport people to and from Great Wolf Lodge and Camp Cedar.
Just my 2 cents.

I hardly think that a tram driver is going to do anything to stop fighting teens. Not to mention that they are already struggling to get staffing (as you said), plus the cost of trams doesn’t seem like it would pay out.

Furthermore camp cedar is not adjacent… so the trams would have to be fully licensed/street legal vehicles to go there and back (ie seat belts for all).

The way you see this “fighting at the pick up lot after the park closes”. I’m not really sure how much of it is KIs problem. They close and tell people to leave… then people leave and fight. If this was your house and this occurred, you’d do exactly what KI is doing. You’d call the police to deal with it.

I think a solution could be to have the bus schedule adjusted earlier and/or close the “drop off area” after dark (and forced parents and buses to pick up their kids sooner, before it is dark)… although inevitably some parents will still roll up late.


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[robt]

On 6/12/2021 at 10:20 PM, chuck norris said:

Hearing more rumors of parking lot/pick up lot fights after closing tonight. High police presence. Anyone see /hear anything specific?


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I’d like to solve the puzzle, Pat.

[disco2000]

25 minutes ago, robt said:

I’d like to solve the puzzle, Pat.

You don't want to buy a vowel first

But sure go ahead and solve.

[BoddaH1994]

Getting tired of stories like this. Hope they throw the book at them. 
 

https://www.wlwt.com/article/investigations-into-troubles-at-kings-island-not-over-yet/36732179

[King Ding Dong]

With juveniles about the worst you can expect is the judge throwing a short short story at them.  

[Shawn Meyer]

Anyone see my comment above? I made great points. 

[FUN&ONLY!]

32 minutes ago, BoddaH1994 said:

Getting tired of stories like this. Hope they throw the book at them. 
 

https://www.wlwt.com/article/investigations-into-troubles-at-kings-island-not-over-yet/36732179

I hate seeing these articles too, but I hope anyone who thinks about acting up at Kings Island thinks twice about it after seeing this in the news. This article shows that people are being punishes for their actions and that nobody involved in those fights is off the hook yet.

@Shawn Meyer I agree that police simply being stationed at the drop-off lot would deter fighting, and I have seen police there this year. I don’t know if the police were actually near the drop-off lot when the latest incident occurred, but it seems like they responded fast, and the teens were arrested on the scene. I don’t know why people feel the need to fight at all, let alone at an amusement park, but a public area is certainly not the place you would want to do it. And what makes me confused is that these teens had already left the park. I guess they just needed something to occupy their time while they walked out.

Also, while this is completely unrelated to what I said above, Rivertown Freestyle has been open for the last couple of days (which have been weekdays), and I am honestly shocked. I think all Coca-Cola Refresh Stations have been open in the dry park besides the one near the arcade in Rivertown (I haven’t really been past it). I have also noticed that many of the beer stands are now open after previously being closed. The only food place I really keep seeing closed is Rivertown Funnel Cakes. I also haven’t noticed any food lines super long anymore besides the line for Chick-Fil-A and Blue Ice Cream. I really do think the park is finding more staff. I think they are adding staff to places that have been open to speed up operations and opening up places that were previously closed.

[disco2000]

37 minutes ago, Shawn Meyer said:

Anyone see my comment above? I made great points. 

They already do your great points...Mason police, as well as park security, are in and out of the park and the parking lot quite frequently even before this all started, and have had a bigger presence and it still happens.  And they have cameras in that area.

In a statement, Kings Island confirmed surveillance video footage showed that a group of juveniles were verbally harassing a boy and his father Saturday evening around 8:10 p.m.  Law enforcement summoned to the scene determined the father, who was picking up his son, was in possession of a firearm. However, Kings Island's statement said the man had a valid concealed carry permit and never brandished the firearm.

As you said, you would just go off property to fight... so if the police were at an unrealistic ratio of 1 officer to every 10 guests LOL, then the delinquents will just go to Great Wolf Lodge parking lot or go down a little further to the next hotel like they did on May 22nd.....

Usually these types are the ones that authority is not a deterrent and they have no qualms about mixing it up with a police officer as well and that is part of the adrenaline rush for them is can they do right under their nose and not get caught.

[flightoffear1996]

We had an amazing visit this past Sunday.  We were able to use our drink and food passes without long waits and were able to get a on quite a few rides as well.  So much improvement.

[Maddog]

Some additional "on the ground" experience data for everyone... apologies up front if too lengthy.

 

Had a planned visit yesterday (6/15) to KI for a full day of dry park activities.  First of all, the day was awesome!!!  Taking a mid-week day off of work to enjoy the park is well worth it.  I was a little concerned about crowds, as the weather forecast was known to be "cooling down" after the recent heat, and CP is still closed Tues/Wed possibly pushing the numbers up at KI--but the crowds were very reasonable.  

I was able to get 2 rides during early ERT on Orion, then also completed the day with 2 more rides just before 8pm (boo on the 8pm closings, looking forward to longer hours soon).  Went through most of the coasters at the park (but didn't hit up Planet Snoopy).  Also was able to ride numerous flats, and got a great view of the parking lot (which wasn't full) from WindSeeker.  The longest wait...BLSC, ugg that line moves sooo slow--will probably start skipping it.  Also noticed everyone is getting assigned rows, even on The Beast (I was used to them allowing some flexibility there...).  Depending on the operators, they may be accommodating if you asked for a specific row and there weren't a lot of people in the station--it was really specific to the situation.  

The ride restraint checking consistency is bizarre.  Some rides they tug on the seatbelt, and restraint after you fasten them (asking you for hands up), others they want to push the restraint down for you after you fasten the seatbelt.  Then some want you to tug on the seatbelt visually for them, but then they pull on the restraint later to check, and finally the best was a "giggle the handle" request on The Bat where you were asked to check the OTH restraint by actually shaking it.  For a seasoned rider, this just struct me as odd.  I wasn't sure whether to hold my hands up, or to assist while they watch.  The ride announcers didn't always help in clearing this up either.  I realize some of this is training, and post-Covid policies evolving.  

General notes: I really liked all the now functional theming on Adventure Express, we also stopped to watch the clock on the Festhaus and people around got involved with the chicken dance.  Still noticed a lot of training going on, with supervisors and red shirts working together in a number of positions.  Stacking was rather likely on many rides; everything was functioning, but it didn't feel like people had hit a good "groove" yet.  By the way, Orion has a really hard lurch at the break run where you slam back into the seat--I think they could tame this with some better control logic.  Also, one of the screens in Mystic Timbers was still down (recalling from someone's prior comments).  Bathrooms were clean enough, but paper towels seemed to be a little sparse (numerous empty holders).  It was hit or miss on the sanitizer dispensers throughout the park (usually more of a miss with more empty).

Hit up Coney Bar-B-Que and Brewhouse for meals, both were excellent in terms of the food.  The Brewhouse had some issues with order delivery (two out of three orders arrived with no issues, but the third one was lost?), they eventually figured it out.  Got some Graeters ice cream for an afternoon cool down, unfortunately they are understaffed here and really need some training.  You would order and pay for your ice cream order, and then again tell the person actually making the ice cream what you ordered (with some corrections about what needs to be ON the sundae per the menu board)--needs some work here.  Free ice water was easy to get everywhere, no issues.

Crowds seemed okay with no "media newsworthy" events.  But I did witness two line jumping situations (both on Mystic Timbers).  The first attempt was sad and people called them out for it, they left the line on their own.  The second attempt we saw from the top of the stairs just before the station, but it was occurring down below in the back section.  The line separator also heard the commotion and witnessed what had occurred and said "they won't be riding today"--I'm not sure how that was eventually resolved.  Phones on rides still seems to be a thing...why?  Last ride of Orion someone in the front proceeded to selfie video their entire ride (with their arm up at a 45° angle), not sure how you can actually enjoy a ride even trying to do that.  He did manage to hold onto the phone (lucky for us behind him during the ride, but I really wished he had lost it at the break run).  Unfortunate commonality in all of the above events--tweens.  I really hate to broad brush an age group like that, just noting the apparent age (and lack of maturity) of those in the infracting groups.  
 

In summary, it still has an "early in the season" vibe to it, but overall a great day.  The number of rides we were able to hit was great, even with the shortened hours.  It felt as though everyone on the staff we interacted with were really trying their best to make it a great day.  Can some of the above be in the "nit-picking" category, absolutely.  I just wanted to share all of my personal experiences with the group.

 

[FUN&ONLY!]

Sounds like you had a good day @Maddog! I agree that restraint checking is not very uniform throughout the park. On the major rides, I believe the ride operators check your seatbelts and restraints while on some of the less popular rides, it seems like you do it yourself. In terms of the ride operators actually pushing your restraint down, it is probably because you are in the first seat of their restraint checking section, so they push it down for you as soon as the restraints go down. It is probably done to speed up operations, but I don’t know how much it really improves dispatch times. Also, I have noticed that the side screen on Mystic Timbers is hit or miss. I have ridden it some days where it hasn’t worked on one ride and worked later in the day.