NEW CHAPERONE POLICY KI 2023

[zac2211]

3 hours ago, super7 said:

But it will affect you after 4 o’clock if you split up with them. If security sees you alone, they may confront you or even eject.

Read the policy, it looks to me like I am considered "accompanied" as long as my parents are in the park and I can reach them by phone, and it seems that's how most people interpreted it as well.. Am I reading this wrong?

[FUN&ONLY!]

I honestly did not think we would see a chaperone policy implemented even after the events of last weekend, but it seems like more of a new chain-wide policy. I like that it is lenient and that it seems like more of an excuse to kick people that “seem up to no good” out, but it is still sad to see.

[Kenban]

1 hour ago, zac2211 said:

Read the policy, it looks to me like I am considered "accompanied" as long as my parents are in the park and I can reach them by phone, and it seems that's how most people interpreted it as well.. Am I reading this wrong?

That’s how I read it.  As long as they stay in the park and are reachable by phone you can split up.

[disco2000]

1 hour ago, johnjniehaus said:

So you are telling me that at 18 years old, I'm responsible enough to join the military and vote but not to chaperone a younger sibling at an amusement park? I understand that there's been a lot of trouble out of teenagers and young adults but I would think there should be a way to discipline the offenders instead of penalizing the respectable customer as well. Like how about anyone caught misbehaving by security gets an immediate boot from the park and a 30-60 day ban from entering the park? That would screw some punk kid's summer up real nice.... just saying. I'll be turning 21 in June so I guess until then I'll be "in violation" after 4pm while accompanying my younger sister or cousin. Obviously if security asks me to leave I have no intention of bulking authority but I'm not waving my ID around asking to get booted out after 4pm. 

That is the age-old argument about at what age can the government allow you to drive, drink, smoke, join military, etc.  Those are different (are basically your rights) and affect everyone.

Unfortunately every law or policy was created due to the actions of a few that ruin it for everyone else.  If everyone behaved and did what was inherently right, there would be no need or a lot less need for many laws or policies or police.

This is a private business and an amusement park is not a right or a given, so they can implement whatever legally allowed policy they want.  As a consumer, you can chose to spend your discretionary income there or elsewhere.  The park believes that any lost revenue due to the policy will be offset by increased revenue due to guests coming that are in favor of said policy. 

In your case you will be fine.  This policy puts guests on notice that you can be stopped by security based on perceived age and if a chaperone is not in the park, they can eject you solely based on that whereas previously you had to be caught doing something against park policy.  I suspect two teens minding their own business and simply walking around and not looking like they are causing trouble will be ignored by security.  Contrast that to a group of kids that are pushing or shoving or throwing ice or popcorn at each other or running or anything else that draws attention to them - that group will be stopped and questioned.

 

1 hour ago, Taylor.B03 said:

Pros:

• It allows the chaperone to not be with the person they are accompanying the whole time.
• Normal day before 4pm
• People 16 and 17 are unaffected (If you are old enough to work at the park, you should be able to be at the park.)

Cons:

• This policy does not differentiate younger children.
  • What if there is a young couple such as people who are 18-20 who have children of their own? Are they denied entry to the park because they are bringing their child to the park which they need someone 21 or older to be with? This is a more technical reason but one that should be covered in the fine print. Teenage parents do exist.
•  

Why do you think it is 15 and under LOL (although some positions are available for 15 year olds).

This used to happen in Planet Snoopy all the time on some of the rides where if a person was under a certain height, they had to be accompanied by an adult.  So the 15 year old parent with a 1 year old child couldn't ride.  It has since changed to "Guests must be XX” tall to ride alone OR accompanied by a supervising companion."

[silver2005]

I think it's  chain wide based on the number of parks that announced it and that they all use the same word for word message.

[FUN&ONLY!]

I wonder if the policy will apply to weekdays once weekday operations begin. I could definitely see it applying on Fridays, but I personally don’t think it it will apply to days Monday-Thursday as those days really don’t have many problems.

[silver2005]

Just out of curiosity, how effective have these plans been in the past?

[disco2000]

41 minutes ago, silver2005 said:

Just out of curiosity, how effective have these plans been in the past?

Like many things, they aren't going to give official numbers like X number of security calls prior and Y calls after policy.

They must feel they are effective to have had them be implemented over a several year period at other parks.

It still won't stop everything, but it lets people know that the park is basically going to be in enforcement mode and watching things closer, so usually the up-to-no-good will then find another place to wreak havoc that won't be so heavy handed with security.

[silver2005]

I wonder how they'll put out this announcement for the parks yet to open...

[kaibacorp06]

This makes visits to Kings Island seem like a bust, I hope this policy ends

[Tr0y]

8 hours ago, RedSummit20 said:

https://www.visitkingsisland.com/code-of-conduct

Well, there goes the affordable daycare for a lot of parents. . .

 

In all seriousness tho, I would have much rather seen more serious punishment to the unruly individuals than a new blanket rule that affects us all.

[Dan]

Whoever runs KI/Cedar Fair is literally so stupid. Should have just increased the season pass price to $250 and require payment in full, no monthly price plans. Problem solved unless the government gives out more stimmy checks, lol.

[Taylor.B03]

1 minute ago, Dan said:

Whoever runs KI/Cedar Fair is literally so stupid. Should have just increased the season pass price to $250 and require payment in full, no monthly price plans. Problem solved unless the government gives out more shimmy checks, lol.

The newest prestige pass benefit: Immunity from the chaperone policy. Cedar Fair instantly makes billons in profit 

[BoddaH1994]

37 minutes ago, Dan said:

Whoever runs KI/Cedar Fair is literally so stupid. Should have just increased the season pass price to $250 and require payment in full, no monthly price plans. Problem solved unless the government gives out more stimmy checks, lol.

Unfortunately, 15 years of marketing to the lowest common denominator and devaluing the product is something that needs fixed gradually, if that is their plan. 
 

35 minutes ago, Taylor.B03 said:

The newest prestige pass benefit: Immunity from the chaperone policy. Cedar Fair instantly makes billons in profit 

My friends and I joked last week that we would each get our own Park Ambassador as our chaperone as a Prestige benefit.  

[disco2000]

Increase in Prestige pass sales so chaperones can all congregate in one spot.  There will be a direct link to security so the attendant can call you by name when their kid gets stopped.  Full bar coming too 

[Browntggrr]

14 hours ago, Tr0y said:

In all seriousness tho, I would have much rather seen more serious punishment to the unruly individuals than a new blanket rule that affects us all.

A large majority of people get "information" from videos.  Have videos of guests breaking the rules being escorted from the park on a continuous loop shown on every TV in the park.  Include a text # to report incidents and that unruly guests will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Smoking, line jumping, phones out on rides etc..........

[disco2000]

+1 above!

I have said it before and will say it again LOL:

People can say all they want about Kentucky Kingdom, but when they put out a statement like this and gets media attention, it stops or the incident rate drops off tremendously...Will we ever see CF post a pic of a banned person and say don't be like him LOL...

https://www.wave3.com/story/35658459/kentucky-kingdom-shares-photo-of-now-banned-coaster-rider-with-his-phone/

And they also need to improve their accountability. A ban is useless if they allow anyone to purchase a pass and use a fake name...

https://www.wlwt.com/article/fake-name-on-gold-pass-leads-to-charges-being-dropped-in-kings-island-brawl/36623191#

Now granted the KK incident above is from 2017 and you can find incidents there in 20 and 21, so of course there is always a bad apple that doesn't care - look how many laws are broken daily!  Despite how stringent rules or laws or regulations are, there will always be that person that doesn't care. 

But It took 3 years for a serious enough incident to happen to make the news.... and most of us would file that under the results of the COVID shutdown and most of the population forgetting how to interact in public.

But as long as there are ZERO consequences, whether it be line jumping, smoking, fighting, it will continue to get worse.  Publicly announced consequences will be a deterrent to all but the worse offenders. 

Who knows how many more instances KK would have had without public shaming....

And yet we get a couple news stories a season about fights and fair amount of other issues like vaping in line and line jumping on social media at KI and the stories never conclude as to what the outcome was (ban, etc.).  Until a large percentage of the park going population see that there are consequences, it will continue.

[BoddaH1994]

“I don’t think that’s a fair move," Deborah Stephens said. 

She says the policy hurts working parents who drop their teens off at the park during the day. 

“A lot of parents in that position where they’re employed can’t get there themselves so they have to rely on someone else,” Stephens said.
 

https://www.wlwt.com/article/parents-react-to-new-kings-island-chaperone-policy/43662224?fbclid=IwAR3lffeXcjMSXH7iAes8Y8Tq_GXcyUdyL7xQkcKRz2D_AqSCp8sribQtwx4&mibextid=Zxz2cZ#

 

….KI is not your babysitter.

[Snowball]

20 minutes ago, BoddaH1994 said:

“I don’t think that’s a fair move," Deborah Stephens said. 

She says the policy hurts working parents who drop their teens off at the park during the day.

The people that do this are extremely irresponsible, not to mention, annoying. I am not your babysitter, I have a job to do. People should not be using a theme park as a daycare.

[disco2000]

It is interesting in that most of the complaints that have made the news, as well as many complaints on social media, have that same theme of parents mad they now cannot drop their kids off at KI.  And many of them readily admit the adults in the family do not have passes and now they want refunds.

When Kentucky Kingdom implemented their chaperone policy 2021, they basically said they are not a daycare and if that was your intent, you had like two weeks to request a refund, which they provided. 

So how can KI assure families don't do this in the future - watch them implement a new requirement that any passholder under the age of 16 must have an adult at the same address issued a pass as well.  Obviously that doesn't fix anything other than putting a family on notice that KI is not a daycare and having your under age 16 children passes without an adult having a pass will not be allowed.

Anybody remember when KI had the family pass?  Might be the only way for a minor to get a pass moving forward if this policy doesn't accomplish what CF hopes it accomplishes.

Sadly I have kids that were not even 13 dropped off at the park for the day while the parents work or socialize or whatever they did...load the pass up with meal and drink plan and cheaper than a sitter...one set of siblings I would see at the park quite often and they were well behaved and went through food lines and got their food and the two would eat together, but never saw a parent...they looked maybe 10 and 8 and that was being generous. Maybe they were small for their age LOL.

[SonofBaconator]

This is kinda gross:

 

[FUN&ONLY!]

I wonder if the chaperone policy will become a seasonal thing like Kenwood Towne Center’s chaperone policy, which is only in effect around Christmas. By the way, their policy is a joke as underage children can just enter through stores like Macy’s and Dillards instead of a main entrance. Back to Kings Island. I could see the policy being in effect in in April and May and then again once Halloween Haunt starts as those are the times of year when the crowd can be a little more “rough.” Some Saturdays also can be a little crazy in the summer, so I could see the policy being turned into Saturdays only or weekends only at some point. I highly doubt the policy will also be in effect for Winterfest as the crowd around that time of year is completely different.

[jdf21972]

This is kinda gross:
 

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[silver2005]

13 minutes ago, SonofBaconator said:

This is kinda gross:

 

They just landed an interview on Fox 19 in Cincy, too. 

Also, what could possibly go wrong? 

Also also, wouldn't those doing this be kinda opening themselves up to liabilities if the kids under them cause an incident?  

My head hurts. 

[FUN&ONLY!]

15 minutes ago, SonofBaconator said:

This is kinda gross:

 

Hold the “hired chaperones” responsible for any misbehavior by their “clients.” If a kid acts up, and you are their chaperone because you signed up for this service, then you should both kicked out along with all the other kids who will be “chaperoneless” because their chaperone got kicked out.

[disco2000]

Sadly these same families using KI as a daycare will have no qualms to paypal some random person $20 as it is still cheaper than daycare.

And what will KI do to combat this loophole?

[silver2005]

I also now see a lot of teens hanging out near the entrance soliciting older visitors to trying to get them to be the 'chaperone'. 

[Taylor.B03]

48 minutes ago, silver2005 said:

I also now see a lot of teens hanging out near the entrance soliciting older visitors to trying to get them to be the 'chaperone'. 

What I'd to to teach them a lesson, come with them to the gate, then as they try to get in with you just say "I'm not with them". Very dirty but it would be quite embarrassing for them. 

[chad_1138]

8 minutes ago, Taylor.B03 said:

What I'd to to teach them a lesson, come with them to the gate, then as they try to get in with you just say "I'm not with them". Very dirty but it would be quite embarrassing for them. 

As a high school teacher who is terribly ready for the end of the school year, I may just try this.

[disco2000]

Maybe KI will see that FB page and decide that they want in on the money grab and will turn the International Street restaurant into a daycare during the week LOL.

Charge $150 for an all season daycare pass and parents still come out way ahead over a traditional daycare.