Trip report, 8/13-15

[cdubbs727]

Did our yearly drive down from Detroit to Mason earlier this week. Had planned on spending Monday and Tuesday at the park; got down early enough to go Sunday night, too. A couple of thoughts: 

• We were able to catch the very last show of the season for "Phantom Theater: Encore" after just missing it last year. I was really impressed at its quality. It's silly and cheesy, sure, but I thought it was a ton of fun and it had some really great Easter eggs for those who were able to ride PT back in the day. Fun to see an imaginative and original musical production instead of another theme park collection of cover songs (nothing wrong with those; it's just fun to see KI really try something new). I'm not sure whether this will be back next year, but I'd love to see either this show or something else original that also celebrates the park's history. 
• That reminder of Phantom Theater only makes it stand out how much of a downgrade Boo Blasters is. Our kids love it, so we did it a few times, and it's such a mixed bag. On the one hand, it looks like some of the animatronics and sets got a fresh coat of paint and some re-thinking (the use of lights in the formerly pitch-black skeleton area is nice, and it looks like there's a new fireplace effect that's kind of fun). But the blasters were incredibly hit and miss. I'd say 90% of the time, nothing was hitting its target. A real shame, and I'd love to see them address that or just retheme this ride. 
• Adventure Port isn't anything revolutionary, but it really cleans up a neglected area of the park. I love the colors and the theming. I'm sure Enrique's is still the same food as Hank's Burrito Bar from last year, but it was definitely the best meal we had during our trip (although I will say the pork sliders at Brewhouse came close). I didn't ride Sol Spin, but I took my kids on a few rounds of Cargo Loco and it's a really fun addition (I was spinning the wheel the wrong way for a bit and wondering why I wasn't getting any spins; figured out I had to spin it counter-clockwise, and I had a blast). I'd kind of hoped for more new theming on Adventure Express, but I really liked the new entrance way and the theming in the queue, and I was glad to see they got the arrows working again. 
• Monday was a great day -- rain and storms earlier on kept crowds away, but most the rides ran throughout the day and we walked on pretty much everything. Tuesday was unexpectedly packed -- not sure if it was people who decided not to go on Monday or if people were just taking a mid-week trip for Wednesday's National Roller Coaster Day. But it was slam-packed and kind of miserable (although I think my next point shows why it was so miserable). 
• In my nearly 40 years of going to KI, I don't think I've ever seen so many rides have so much downtime. Our first ride of the day on Sunday was Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown. We got on the stairs, heading into the loading area, and the ride shut down. They called a mechanic and, after about 15 minutes, shut the entire thing down for the rest of the day (we eventually got on). The next day, we were strapped into Banshee, ready to go, when the operators unlocked our restraints and told us to go back behind the gates because there was a mechanical difficulty. Fifteen minutes later, they told us the ride likely wouldn't be operating again any time soon. It was closed for the rest of our trip. Our last day there, not only was Banshee closed all day, but The Beast was down most the day, Mystic Timbers was closed most the morning, Backlot and Flight of Fear were down for a bit, and I believe Orion shut down briefly. I've never seen so many rides go down in one trip, and it likely is why all the rides that were open had such long wait times. 
• The app was also problematic. It would constantly say I wasn't in the park and wait times would be way off. Also, it drained my phone's battery horribly. 
• But lest you think it's all complaints, it was still a good trip. My son, who was too scared to ride Mystic Timbers last year, came and conquered Mystic Timbers, The Beast, Diamondback and Orion. The park was clean. And the food was good -- I already mentioned Enrique's and Brewhouse, but the International Street LaRosa's seemed back to quality this year and I really liked the Italian Sausage and Greek Salad from Grain and Grill. Also, the Red, White and Blue Funnel Cake was fantastic. 
• I also have to praise the workers at the park who were, to a person, friendly and excited and very helpful, which I'm sure isn't easy this late into the season. A special shout-out to the crews at Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown and Banshee, who made sure to chat us up during ride downtime and see how our trip was going. It's the little personal touches like that that help alleviate the stress and frustration, and they really did a great job. 

[cdubbs727]

Also forgot to mention the bees: They were out of control. You couldn't sit anywhere and eat without them swarming you. My little girl got stung just sitting down with cup of pop (glad she's not allergic, but it didn't stop the tears). Not sure what they can do, but the way they swarm the drink fountains is a recipe for disaster. 

[IndyGuy4KI]

Awesome trip report, thanks so much for sharing!