Leaderboard

$30 for drinks ALL SEASON LONG is a tremendous bargain. Be thankful its available, instead of $4.00 drinks all day long. The season pass meal plan is also a tremendous bargain. I am surprised that they offer either at such a low price, considering the offsest for low cost season passes has always been the profits on food and drinks. I would love to see the financial data of how they can offer these at such a low price and keep the same revenue stream.

One park has a Skyride and one doesn’t.

This is my second year with the drink pass and knew there was a time gap between drinks...I haven't run into it this year, but I thought it was 8 minutes last year? Anywho, if a drink mix is out, I always tell one of the workers...not to complain but to let them know as it is usually their job to change it, too. If no one tells them, they wouldn't know unless they drink that particular drink themselves.

A Tornado Watch is typically issued for a large area, advising that conditions are favorable for tornado development. It doesn't indicate eminent danger, but it's an indication to watch the weather and be prepared to take shelter if storms develop. Both Kings Island and Cedar Point have severe weather plans in place and are part of the National Weather Service's StormReady program.

Left the kids with my mom and the wife and I headed up early in the AM for my 1st CP visit in 9 years. Rain and t-storms were horrific and cast doubt on the whole day. Stopped for a proper breakfast in Lima and rain subsided after that. Loved taking all the back roads up there. Stopped at Wal-Mart for ponchos and before you knew it we were crossing the causeway with the sun shining. The employee passes we got from a KI associate worked and we were in (albeit a little late). Pleasantly surprised by the walk-on at GateKeeper so we went for the front. First winged experience for me and did not disappoint. Seeing the oncoming track at the top, it was hard to discern where we were headed-really odd feeling for sure. So smooth and floaty with the unique sensation of nothing below you. the forecast looked like more rain, so we headed to Valravn next. After waiting for ~15-20 min. the rain started and they shut it down while we were on the steps (doh!). Knowing it would be down for a bit, we sought some dryness-very glad that we had brought our ponchos. Made our way to Frontier Town and the Last Chance Saloon. While the BBQ place was packed, we had no trouble grabbing a few beers and a bag of peanuts to ride out the storm. So happy to have a dry, comfortable bar room to chill and sip our lagers. Peeked into the show room to see the stage setup. Looked pretty quaint and cozy. I've always felt CP to be high on rides, and lower on ambiance and 'chill' spots, but this trip reminded me of their great use of space and ability to create a comfortable feel. As the rain slowed, we figured we may as well queue up for Steel Vengeance. The structure is amazing to behold and everyone cheered as they started sending through the empty trains. Once there were full trains, it was nuts to see how the structure gives-great illustration of what wood can do. The wait would have been less if my fanny pack (I'm here to NOT lose my stuff, NOT to look cool) wasn't prohibited, but oh well. After I got a locker it was roughly 1.5 hrs. Chatted up a guy from KY there with his younger siblings-Guy was very nice and a hardcore coaster junkie. Finally got on and was put in the 2nd last car. The whole sensation of a massive lap bar/leg harness made me feel totally secure but also free to move. Hard to put into words the ride itself. The 1st drop is as intense as any and whatever you call that reversed bank out of the 1st hill made me feel like a cartoon character where my upper body is being pulled up and left while the car (and my lower body) is being hurled down and to the right. The sections in the structure were insane. The smoothness, speed, air time and general ridiculousness made me laugh like a maniac the entire ride. There is nothing that compares in my coaster experience-next level stuff. My wife claims it to be her new all time favorite. After that we figured we'd hit Maverick since we were there. Slight delay as they added 2 trains, but still worth it. Once again, such a unique coaster and just as intense as I remember it from 9 years ago. Extra wait on Maverick made for a late meal but we found the BBQ at the smokehouse to be pretty good. Also amazed that they had Brew Dog's Elvis Juice on tap-did not expect a quality Ohio brew, but that was nice. Of course that stuff is radically overpriced, but it we knew that going in. Made our way through the woods of Frontier Town towards Millennium Force. Once again it struck me how nice that area is-trees grow a lot in nearly a decade. Nearly to the station in Millie and they had to close for unknown mechanical reasons. Since the line was short to begin with, I didn't feel bad bailing-but it was weird walking through the exit without that awesome post-ride buzz. Luckily we were able to basically walk on Valravn. It was everything I'd hoped for and freaked my wife out big time when it stopped at the top. I assumed she knew, but wasn't going to mention it. She was massively scared and though it was broken. She lived-but didn't ride it again! Took a break and I ran out to the car for some Advil reinforcements (knew I was forgetting something). By this time Millie was running and we got on pretty quick. I've thought this for years, but this may be my favorite coaster ever. The setting, the speed, the smoothness. It's incredibly intense without any of the negatives. It is just so good and never gets old. I REALLY hope KI get's an Intamin giga soon--there is really nothing like it. After that, Top Thrill Dragster was finally running so I wanted to get one in on that. My wife declined as that thing freaks her out (she did the eagles). Had to wait about 45 min. but once again, there is nothing like TTD. Just sheer insanity. It occurred to me then that of all the great coasters I've ridden, TTD, Maverick, Millennium Force, and Steel Vengeance are the 4 that really take you to another dimension of speed and space. They are of a higher order. (And why KI needs an Intamin Giga!) After meeting back up with my wife, we decided to head back towards Steel Vengeance but not before the Magnum. Once again, a slight wait to take a train off, but it was not bad at all. Made my mind wander to back when they put this in (long before I ever visited CP) and what a big deal it was. The thing looks tiny by today's standards, and is pretty rough these days. But the way it swings out towards the lake is still awesome. We then hopped on Cedar Creek Mine Ride just for kicks and I realized that there is a lot to be said for a long, sprawling mine ride even without any big drops. We got back in line for SV and this time I took more note of the mythology/theming of the story-pretty cool and intricate. I love theming and it's awesome when they can work in a coherent narrative. Much better than that Squeelers coaster they're putting in at Kennywood lol. Along those same lines, I liked the 'Battle for CP' game/ap that they are promoting. While I didn't do the actual ap, I loved the depictions of all the major rides as characters of some sort with their own personas and emblems. Each one really personified that coaster IMO-Very cool. It was basically dark for our 2nd SV ride and what can I say-It was still amazing. Hands up the whole time, ended up in the same car-The mist memorable rides of our trip. After that go-round, my wife was pretty much done, but I still wanted to check out the Iron Dragon VR. The idea seemed cool, and I'd never done anything like it. Initially decided to wait 45 minutes (sans wife) but once in line I decided against it. If it sucked, I'd feel like I wasted time that could have been spent on known quantities. So instead I busted out another night run on Millie (amazing) and also got on the front of Rougorou. I liked the Mantis when I 1st rode it in '97, but it had been bumpy and rough since. The new seats were much better and the ride was much improved with a few minor headbangers. Met back up with my wife and she indulged me in one last ride on Valravn. This time I got the center of the front row which really was amazing. Just hanging there staring straight down a wall of track-Very unique and thrilling. As we headed out, I remembered back how this was one of my wife and I's 1st trips as a couple so many years ago and how we'll love bringing our kids up there once they're big enough (our 6 year old would ride everything now if he could). In less than an hour, we were at a free hotel (points) in Avon, OH watching the British Open. Very blessed that the rain held off for most of the day and gave us a refreshing adult day at a truly amazing park.

I'm a plus-sized gal myself and I'd be happy to dish if you have specific questions. I'm proud to say I now can fit every restraint in the park at this point in the season, and I'm still trucking along on my weight loss journey. Each ride fits differently, and it's all based on how you carry your weight. Let me know if you have any questions about specific rides. :)

I have both the all season meal and drink plan and have been very satisfied with both. I think it’s a great option for people who visit the park frequently. I will say that sometimes when I go through the line to get a drink, they don’t even scan my pass. So they would never know if I had waited 15 minutes or not. A lot of times they will even give me a bigger cup because they are out of the red refill cups. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'd like to chime and say although I learned about the 15 minute rule after I got my drink plan, I get why the policy exists and it's way better than having to pay like $3-4 for a drink every time. But yeah, it is kinda misleading... Until you read the fine print!

I have a few of the clear, waterproof, phone bags. I use them at the park constantly. I loop the line through my belt. The chance of my phone hitting someone is approaching zero. I understand what they're doing, but there are better ways to make it happen.

^ Her inhaler isn't a phone, so it shouldn't be an issue at least for now. See also jtro223's comment above; Guest Services will evidently issue a tag for medically necessary phones to be allowed to the station. If the loose article policy is expanded beyond phones, I assume the procedure will be similar. Yeah, the policy stinks for guests responsible enough to secure all loose articles in zipper pockets before getting to the station. On the bright side, the length of time people are willing to go without phones might limit the length of the line.

If the soda mix on one of the fountains is wrong, they need to know so that it can be fixed. Being notified of the problem, they should let you grab a replacement without redeeming another drink.

Unlimited mobile data plans are throttled after a set threshold. Unlimited food at a buffet is limited to what a customer can consume in one visit. Unlimited rides are limited by capacity and attendance. "Unlimited" is a marketing gimmick that seldom means without any restrictions. If there's a problem with a food or drink, even if it was "free" with a dining or drink plan, ideally this is brought up to management so that it can be fixed.

Via CP Rundown on Facebook... This leads me to have a few questions/comments. What happens if there aren’t enough lockers? Do people not get to enter the ride because Cedar Point doesn’t have enough locker space? Does this policy include my wife’s asthma inhaler? She needs that on hand all the time, especially on a hot summer day in the sun. Why is the park promoting Battle for Cedar Point, their app, in-park WiFi options, etc... if phones are such an issue? Take all mobile-related content off of the Fun TVs. If you are going to prevent guests from entertaining themselves in line, get all three trains running first. If you can’t tell by now, I strongly disagree with this policy. I would prefer to see the New Texas Giant zipper pouches if it is such an issue.

Even if they wash them before they enter the park (doubtful) I can't tell you how many people I see leave a bathroom stall with cup in hand and don't wash their hands after using the facilities... Be thankful that they got away from food workers making your food and touching those souvenir cups to refill and went to self dispensing...at least now the workers haven't touched an unsanitary cup and then made your food...unless the people in front of you had the hot chocolate refillable cups at Winterfest...

^ That's an interesting point; I never considered the drinking straw factor. I couldn't find any real research on the subject in 2 minutes, but this science fair project found that drinking with a straw was more sanitary with respect to backwash. Let's hope most guests are washing their all-season cups with soap and hot water before each visit.

CP might want to consider banning hot sauce packets or patrons from entering the queue line.... From the Sandusky Register: Police arrested an Amherst boy Saturday after he allegedly threw a packet of hot sauce at a Steel Vengeance train at Cedar Point, which apparently exploded and hit some people in the face and eyes. The 17-year-old boy was charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct. A Sandusky officer responded to a call from Cedar Point police at about 4:20 p.m. about riders being hit by hot sauce, according to a Sandusky police report. Link to the original article: Lay Off the Hot Sauce

Refilling used drinkware is the entire premise of souvenir drink bottles. It's gross, for sure - another reason why disposable cups are a great idea. Anyone with a compromised immune system should stay far away from soda fountains, especially ones that aren't behind a counter.

If the drink was bad, why not dump it and just fill it with something else. Why get back in line for a new cup, and what about a nominal wait between refill to keep people from “freeloading others” makes it less “unlimited” seems like a big deal made about semantics that are stated. All of the time spent screen shotting details to support your argument maybe could have been spend earlier reading the details of what you were buying.

So since this is my last CP trip for a few years and with how I want some SV re-riding later, I got myself FLP.

The lights would work at first.

"Small" except for that bit about extending the track of a coaster built by a now defunct manufacturer that barely rises above the height of the station. ;-)

That area makes me sick every time I walk by. one of the most glorious flat rides ever was located there. Zodiac.

The park definitely needs a few more flat rides like Carowinds got last year. Especially in Oktoberfest which was originally a flat ride area. That area has been lacking anything much for about 20 years...... Screamscape is rumoring Racer retracking and light package. They mentioned that RMC sells topper track which would smooth the ride out. Wishing - if they were really going to remodel that coaster, I wish they would demolish where the turnaround splits out so far, and rebuild it so the trains stay together with some kind of dueling turnoaround. Also wish they would put the last drop back in with a tunnel like Racer 75 and Thunder Road (had). Vortex would be a great coaster if it had a track system by a better manufacturer. Except for that sharp brutal turn around before the break run. I always thought Adventure Express should be extended to have another section with a giant 540 or 900 degree helix at the end and a long tunnel. Remarketed as a Barvarian Mt Railway with winter theming...... Remodeling coasters is a great concept. These parks are maxed out with coasters. Renovating them gives new life and the ability to market a new ride, with lesser of an investment. But lets hope they are willing to spend a few $ on the stinking bathrooms that date back to the 70s......Or renovating I-Street to give it a better sit-and-relax atmosphere like Kings Dominion. The cheap white picnic tables right on the main walkways offering no shade in the daytime are very trashy. These are two major items that keep this park in the B class category at best.

This firm stance should have been addressed better when others were caught with a phone out on a ride. I truly believe that if a person or 2 would have been asked to leave because of having their phone out, or having the phone taken from them until they left the park, there would not be an issue of this content now. People talk, it will get around, let the problem police itself and it would have happened. Obviously, I am not a fan of the drastic changes made as much as I agree with the loose articles, there is a better way to do this. The Loose articles? How is a phone or others articles considered loose when in a zippered or buttoned pocket. (Yes, I use button pockets, some I trust, some I don't) I have never lost anything out of my pockets. Just a vent. I also wear a hat every time I go to an outside event. It fits fine into another one of those pockets I have. I am a elding balding white guy knowing there is not much worse than a sunburned bald head. I like to keep it covered as much as possible. I see where people are happy to see many say they will not ride this because it will keep lines down. I have to agree, but there is also another thread now that says they are cutting hours and other things because attendance is down. How will this affect it? I personally would love to ride SV, but I have keys and other things with me when I am in the park. If a phone in a covered pocket is a loose article then so is everything else. Rant over.

Not to mention that some places have bigger cups (Tom and Chee comes to mind). The park is all over the place and it has too many plans ect. Keep it simple make it easy to use and keep your guest happy.

I really hope we get some new things for Haunt this year!!

The sign says “phones or loose articles” though... I guess we will have to wait and see how it is being enforced, but it looks like they are trying to take a pretty firm stance.

^ Indeed, I wasn't okay with material changes to the rules after purchase. Luckily, that didn't end up actually happening. Customers rightfully got upset when they thought that they might get fewer meals than they paid for. I do agree with you that the website descriptions could more conspicuously qualify "unlimited" with the refill interval, but I don't see it as being a big deal. Really, I'd like the word "unlimited" to disappear from marketing speak. It's almost never accurate, and someone usually abuses it and ruins it for everyone the rest of the time. See MoviePass or Endless Crab.

Meal plan intervals have always been clearly specified at purchase and have not changed after purchase. There was an uproar a few years back when a different set of rules was posted on the park website. The revised terms never went into effect for new or existing dining plans.

At least they make that very clear as you enter.

To both of you: It’s irrelevant that the the mix was off. That happens. No need to bring in Chef Major. I’m simply warning the people who might buy the drink plan or other services that this is instance where I paid for one thing and the policy was misrepresented until after I had already paid. Also, notice how the Waffle House puts, “A Drink Refill” as part of their marketing materials? The reason behind that is that the corporate policy was that you could have two refills in one visit. This was meant to deter loiterers. Some locations followed this policy, some didn’t. Their menu said, “free refills” the entire time and they were legally forced to change it. So basically the issue I described is not historically unfounded. I’m not angry, confused, and I don’t even think this devalues the drink plan. I just find the fact that a company whose cornerstones end with, “...and it’s all held together by integrity” would find this okay to be a little disappointing.

I haven't made it to Kings Island as often as I'd like this season. For me, it's a combination doing more travel to out-of-town destinations and of having a longer season to visit Kings Island (for Winterfest). Less of my limited summer vacation time is being spent in Ohio. As "staycations" trend down and wages increase in a bullish economy, regional parks will have to find more ways to compete for leisure dollars and control staffing costs. Days with a stormy forecast that turn out better than expected (like yesterday) are usually great days to visit the park, although many food/drink/merchandise locations close when attendance is too low. Sometimes, you get days like last Friday that are true rain-outs. There was a combination of very low attendance and severe storms late in the day that put reopening rides in doubt.

This is a big reason why I always do a "taste test" before I walk away from the fountain. This applies not just at Kings Island, but at literally any restaurant I ever go to with self-serve drinks. I never leave the drink fountain area without confirming that the taste is correct.

We are a fan site and only the Banshee gift shop has been mentioned. I have counted 12 different types of "cuts" since the quarterly report was announced and that is lumping some things together or the list could be longer. Maybe some are purely coincidental... I suspect that collectively as a forum our attendance numbers are down as well. Let's get to the park and spend money. If we as fans haven't noticed the cuts, the cuts will continue until they are readily obvious to the once per decade visitor. By then it may be too late. I heard some funny they are doing "insert comment here" to save money anecdotes, so people are noticing. I watched a dude with a souvenir cup on Banshee walk up to line and was told he couldn't take it on and he chucked it into the garbage and mumbled he wasn't going to come back to this place anyway as he couldn't find places to refill the cup. He certainly didn't experience #KIBestDay and many aren't either. Droves of people certainly didn't on Friday. Attendance was low today. Walk-on for a night-time Beast front-row seat. Has the precedent now been set that the park may close if the guest count gets too low or it rains, so people will now only come when there is no chance or rain? It appears that way reading FB comments. Certainly not a way to increase attendance. I am not expecting the next quarterly report to be any more encouraging, which could really have an impact on Haunt and Winterfest...

Heard they took names at guest services for complimentary after 4 tickets for anyone there yesterday. Have friend with passes that gave them the names of 7 people not even at the park that day that thought would like free tickets. Sounds like guest services didn’t really care.

And Magenta Lizard wins KIC today! I listened to a lady rant about the stroller policy a few weeks ago. She asked the attendant if she was supposed to leave her child outside in the stroller while they watch the show. (Plus a few explicatives). I pray for the children of these people.

How much can you get done in an hour? I hope a lot.

I think that may be the reason behind Banshee and Mystic Timbers, but not this policy. I HOPE this is a stop gap until they think of a better idea. This is pretty drastic. I'd imagine a lot of people will be upset by it.

Savage.

In my opinion, this is putting a full body cast on a papercut. I agree that they need to be more proactive with loose articles, cell phones in particular, but this is a little harsh. I have ridden many rides with my phone in my pocket and never have had a problem. I do get a little disgusted when I get on a coaster and I see 3 phone pop out on the lift hill. Cameras on the lift hill and a security guard at the exit would self police this very quickly. The cameras can be very inexpensive and can be installed quickly. The security wouldn't need to be there long, either take the phone that was out for the rest of the day and return it to them when they leave, or remove them from the park. A couple of these happen, the word will get around and will take care of the issue. I prefer to have my phone with me in line, not that I need it, but it is nice to pass time while waiting. I don't wear a watch either, so it is nice to keep up with time since there are very few clocks if any to be found in the park. (There may be, but with a phone or watch, I would never search for them)

I witnessed somebody yelling at one of the ushers at Gravity soon after she opened the doors for a show the other day. The woman was unloading her stroller and complaining the whole time about how somebody should have come out and told her before the doors opened that it wasn't allowed inside, she was at the front of the line right next to the door and now look at all these people going past her, she could have unloaded it while she had been waiting if somebody had just come out to tell her that it wasn't allowed inside! The usher was being very calm and just taking it, but as I went past I said quietly "well, there /are/ signs saying it..." If the woman had been standing there right next to the door for as long as she was saying in her rant, she had plenty of time to notice the sign /right next to the door/ that says strollers must be left outside. Or to look around and notice all the other parents parking their strollers outside the doors... Don't know where she thought she was going to be able to park it if it was allowed inside with her. Blocking access for other guests, I assume.

^^Would that have a huge plaza similar to what Steel Curtain will where it has activities and a shop themed after the team? Tonight's concept ties on to a similar thing to what Kennywood is doing with Steel Curtain where it would have activities and stuff themed to the team. But, instead of football, it'd be for the Reds. The plaza would have kids baseball activities including Reds themed midway games, an indoor play area, and would have a giant team shop and on the outside would have giant TV's on the building that would play Reds games when they play during the day. When the Reds games are not on, the TVs would play ESPN on it. I know that stuff isn't in the picture because it's hard to draw, but I hope you get the picture. I give you The Big Red Machine along with Reds Country!

I hope one day that Kings Island gets a B&M Floorless coaster. That's the only thing I feel is missing between the Cedar Point and Kings Island. Cedar Point converted Mantis to Rougarou and now I'm hoping that one day Kings Island gets one next.

Exactly. We're still waiting for "The Big One". It'll be obvious when we're getting the giga. Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

Put politely, TEA has no ****ing clue what they are talking about with their attendance numbers.

I completely understand that and agree. I think I should of worded that better. If theres a threat, it's going to looked at. Obviously they're not going to look deeply into every single car that enters KI. More details: The bag at the game was there for several innings, that's why it was searched. Edit: If they closed the park early or not, theres going to be people whining no matter what if this story still got out.

A few other things to keep in mind: At Coasterstock it was mentioned that KI had its largest attendance since 1998 - since official attendance numbers are not disclosed, how much of that company-wide drop could be attributed to KI if we went back to "normal" attendance this year? Remember a couple years ago with the water main break issue at CP and they were able to justify that the lost attendance from that closed weekend was the reason for the down number that year - if I recall correctly I thought the estimate of lost attendance for the closure was within the one thousands of the company wide down attendance number. Steel Vengeance at Cedar Point has had its problems and it has been widely reported about refunds and other stuff going on with people that made plans to go to a destination park because of new ride and then canceled due to its problems. Others may have decided to skip this year and go next year hoping it is resolved. Twisted Timbers at Kings Dominion has experienced its own similar Steel Vengeance issues and not running at capacity for most of the season. To some extent that will impact attendance there as well for same reason listed above. Weather has had an impact - the region/country has had an exceptional above average temperature and that keeps people away as well.

Not necessarily a say, but a do... While I was driving Vortex during the last hour of operation today, I saw a puff of smoke (or vape?) come up from a train I was bringing in. For the first time ever, I spieled "Just a friendly reminder that smoking is not allowed on any ride here at Kings Island...yep, I saw that!" The culprit had an "oops, you caught me" look as he exited. At least he was a good sport about it.

Sky Rides are always nice... Would like to see one... A twist n splash or Mack's interactive boat ride would be fun... Does anyone make Gravitrons or Condors anymore???

Cedar Fair has made it clear that they run amusement parks, not theme parks. Therefore, Kings Island and Cedar Point are amusement parks.