electricsun

Wait, I'm confused. Are you referring to Banshee or some other ride? As far as I remember from my folklore and legend readings, a Banshee is seen as an omen of death as her song/screech foretells someone's death.

That's what I was thinking but wasn't sure. That does a diservice to what should be a nice park. There is potential. There is a part of it that reminds me of Michigan's Adventure - just a small nice family park. And I will admit that I can be a little picky and notice those little details that others miss. Like there are no signs directing people to the entrance of the park. Spray paint graffiti on a ride sign. With all the trash and state of one restroom, I won't be visiting their water park. One of the ride ops at Skycatcher had to yell his instructions to us because he said his mic was broken. His energy was still high at the end of a very hot day - so they have some good team...just putting them in some not good situations. Again, so much potential. But putting money into a new ride for next year when you could make what you currently have go from "ehh" to "great"? Not a fan of that plan.

If I pay for ice cream at the park, it is going to be blueberry. The kids like it too. (I train them well!) I think the blueberry ice cream is mostly a nostalgia item for many folks. They had it as children, and now get it for the children in their lives. It's this unique experience associated with fun times at Kings Island. I love it!

They can accurately aim and spray up to 15 feet away. Turkey vultures can projectile vomit up to 8 feet away (FYI for Beastie fans).

I've been thinking about my experience at the park last Saturday. Am I being too critical? I'm not sure but I'm willing to give the park another chance. Would I recommend it to my friends and family? At this point, no. My biggest complaint is that the park is dirty. I don't think I've seen a park with so much trash everywhere - in the queue and the fenced off areas next the queue. And I didn't see anyone picking up trash like at other parks. It saddens me that so many people just throw their trash on the ground or over fences. However, when there is one trash can in an entire queue, many people aren't patient enough to hold on to their trash with the hope of a trash can in the station. Not all the ride ops had fans or ways to cool down. The poor girl at the Flying Dutchman looked like she was about to pass out. I asked if she was okay and she said she was just tired. I don't understand the park running one train for everything. I waited an hour and a half for T3 (not worth the wait) in a line that at any other park would have been 20 minutes because of the trains. The ride ops can only move so fast when you are running one train...that then has to stop at each brake. The Sea Lion show format and style was a disappointment and does a disservice to the presenters and animals. I got several mosquito bites when I was back by Skycatcher for less than 10 minutes. Do parks spray for mosquitos? I haven't had such issues at other parks and since I'm such a magnet for them it made me wonder. Security is a very present at the park and both security and ride ops are very forward in talking to line jumpers or others causing issues. The Caraousel was fascinating and fun to look at all the details. The ULine bins for rider gear feels very temporary. I don't want to see any park fail. However, it doesn't seem as though some people going to KK really care - between the trash and graffiti - about the park. And that saddens me.

Yesterday, a camper tried to tell me that CP's Rougarou was the world's first floorless coaster. I tried explaining that it was just CP's first and that I've ridden other floorless coasters but was met with a "No, it's *totally* floorless!". Sometimes you just have to let it go.

Sorry for the double post but had to share a few things. International Restaurant appears to have received a paint job since the last time I was in there. It looks great. I love the view of the fountains and Eiffel Tower from there. After my trip to another park, I better appreciate that the KI crew really do work hard to keep the park clean. A little girl managed to get her knee or leg stuck in the bars of the gate at Viking Fury. The ride crew seemed to handle it well and stayed calm while not drawing unnecessary attention to the situation. I was impressed and will be sending an email tomorrow. Watching a middle school boy/"reluctant rider" fall in love with The Beast = priceless!

Today's trip chaperoning is already different from last trip. 2 chaperones and 8 mostly daredevil middle school boys. For one boy, his first rollercoaster was front row of Banshee. It's going to be a good day.

They will measure her barefoot so if she has to be 48" for a ride, she won't be able to ride. I've done Zoom Flume with my niece and she loves it. She will need a life jacket for Splash River. For her height, make sure to grab a yellow tube instead of a blue tube as they are smaller. Or do a double tube so you can ride together and not get separated.

My younger niece and nephew really enjoy Splash Landing - they are 7 and 8 years old. Height wise, they are both small so the niece has to wear a life jacket as she is just under 48". I also recently asked the question about moving up to bigger slides for them and received great advice. That can be found here: http://www.KICentral.com/forums/index.php/topic/31082-soak-city-tips-for-younger-kids If you don't have someone hanging out with your bags, grab a locker. Don't leave things unattended. I once left my bag of towels and their shoes unattended for 45 minutes on a slow day and it was fine but others haven't been so lucky.

Here is the picture I took from the public walkway on Saturday. When riding Thunder Run, you can better see that several potions of the track is gone.

Blech. I was there on one of those days and was miserable. I hope your visit is going WAY better than mine did!

It was noted on their map as a "Coming 2016". I'll post a picture tonight when I get home from work. Edited to add - actually, it is on their online map here: http://www.kentuckykingdom.com/experience/park-map/ There was work being done on the coaster with track missing. I did take a picture of that and will post one later today.

I've never grayed out of TTD. Millennium Force and Intimidator 305 are another story. If you can, once you hit the top, look out over the lake. It is one of my favorite things to do as there is a moment where I feel as though time has slowed down. I get a quick glance around the park and the lake and then we are pulled back down to earth. It is awesome!

I'm sorry; I wasn't clear. After seeing KI billboards in Cincinnati, I was surprised at not seeing KK billboards in Louisville or on the drive to Louisville.

I know a few people with far more serious seizure disorders than he has. I can't imagine how hard it must be. My nephew is very lucky in the grand scheme of things. He has the petit mal or absence seizures. I know that he goes in for tests where they try to trigger the seizures and the results have come back that the medicine is working. Beyond that, I don't have much information as I don't go to the doctor appointments. I'm hoping that the medicine continues to work. I can't imagine how hard that was for you; right before getting your license and gaining more "independence", here is something that chains you. I hope things are going well for you now! And mdaisyjayne, I don't mean to derail your post, but to share of example of how we made it work. Please let us know how your visit with your grandson goes. My mom had to stop riding with me because of motion sickness but I have nothing but wonderful memories of visiting the park with her and my grandma. Whatever you decide, I hope you two have a great visit!

I'm rolling in laughter. That is quite a poised response!

Glad there is some advertising for the local area! It was just strange to me that I didn't see any billboards for Kentucky Kingdom, but did for the others. I've seen plenty of KI billboards in Cincinnati, so I thought I would see one for KK. Maybe they are in a different area of town than where I drove?

MF and TTD are not as forgiving - at least with their seat belts. The lap bar is never issue for me; it's the seat belt. The seat belts hit at my hips and I have issues sometimes getting it fastened on my own so a ride op will often have to latch it for me. However, I've seen women and men larger than me ride so body proportions matter.

Standing in line for T3, there is a 13/14 year old girl flipping out in line saying that she is going to die, she is going to fall out, everyone is going to fall out and that someone died on it. The adult with her was trying to reason with her but it's not working. Also...a parent let their 8/9 year old relieve himself in line. I guess if you stand around him and let him aim through the fence, it's okay?! Electricsun who feels as though she is in three different threads right now... Updated to add that the girl convinced she was going to die has left the line. But another guy asked why there was only one train. He said, "Did it break already or is there only one?". After a 45 minute wait, with a 1/3 full queue, and not yet in the station, it's a good question.

Have found myself in Louisville today after a comedy of errors this morning/early afternoon. In Louisville, saw two billboards for Holiday World, one for Kings Island's food truck festival, and one for the KY State Fair.

Tonight's Dive In movie has been cancelled thanks to inclement weather.

Or get their head boxed by a ride because they are too short to "ride it correctly" and push up against the restraints. I wish I could get the love for Vortex but as I get older, I have less and less patience for leaving a ride with an aching head. Enjoy the ride and I'll be off somewhere else.

That is interesting to hear that ride operations were slow when you went on a much cooler day. It was 95-98 the day I visited and I was wondering if the one train and slow dispatch was normal or because it was so hot. Thanks for sharing your experience!

It runs 25-30 minutes.