electricsun

Tanna, Have you been on Surf Dog? I've seen adults (sans kids) and teens in line. It's a fun ride and even though the ride moves in circles, it shouldn't be enough to cause nausea. On an unrelated observation, I saw a KI team member walking through Planet Snoopy today holding a can of shaving cream and razor. I was a bit confused until I saw a few other male team members...no facial hair! I never thought of that particular challenge. It is probably far better for the schedule to have shaving cream/razor on site versus sending them home to fix the problem.

Wait times have been very short for Planet Snoopy and the flat rides today. Yes, I'm a sucker for guilt trips to take my niece and nephew to KI. And finding rides for both the 44" and 64" kids has been interesting!

Yikes! Certainly not the worst I've seen in person at some other hotels but it's up there. I've learned to take reviews on both extremes with skepticism. But when there are such pictures, it's hard to justify paying more than $40 a night for the room. If they haven't closed in the off season before, it will be interesting to see what they are planning. Most hotels at that level will stay open during renovations, even when there is one building with interior corridors. If they are doing renovations, I wonder why they wouldn't just close down a building at a time.

When I travel for work or personal, I do my best to avoid exterior corridors so I wouldn't stay there. When I'm in the area for work, I stay at the Comfort Suites behind the Speedway. During offseason and through May, it is around $60-$80 a night.

Thank you for that. I can imagine that it is a delicate balance of responding to issues while not saying something that could open them up to litigation. And also giving enough information to answer questions but not scare potential customers away. Recent PR moves at KK and this situation have shown that it is easier said than done. If the park knows they have a consistent safety concern, why don't they address it? Not doing so seems to place them at a larger risk for liability than any PR statement. I read through the other responses and wow, that sounds like a park I should not add to my list to visit during my solo trips.

Ahh. Okay. Thanks!

There were some burlap wrapped figures in Planet Snoopy; I figured they were covered up because of the graphic nature and their location during the daytime. Could those have been them?

That may or may not already be happening. I've found the best answer is, "That is a great question! What do you think?". Works (almost) every time. And that is a great thing to be known by, "The QuestionBox". Love it!

Maybe it shakes and rattles too much while the train rolls? While my oldest nephew and I were waiting to unload after riding The Beast, we were watching Vortex. It was a great teaching moment about why roller coasters sway. Ahhh science! I'm waiting for the day when he says "I don't want to learn about this!" when I start spouting off strange and fun science info. I fear that is coming sooner rather than later.

Wait times have been minimal so far today. We've been on The Beast twice and BLSC once in about 45 minutes.

I saw an email about that and it sounded like a great idea. For schools with drama programs or students in Ohio EdTA, this would be a great experience for them. It's a good idea for a supplement to their Education Days. I remember our advisor scheduling field trips to weekend shows and programs. Not sure how she managed to tolerate us crazy high school kids but we loved it.

I would consider buying the no boo stick. I could handle paying $5 to get some last night rides in before the season ends. I don't like being scared so I would not be one who even attempted the maze. And for those that are trying to spend time with friends/loved ones that do like the experience of Haunt, it could be seen as a good compromise.

That is a very sad state for any business if the parents don't want their children working there. And if you are an adult and wouldn't go there after dark, why are parents letting their child go? I can't fathom that choice. I don't know much about that area but I'm curious as to what, if anything, Six Flags has done to help with safety for both potential and real issues. Is there anything they could do now to fix this?

How do these people drop off their kids and hope for the best? I may be a bit overprotective, but I wouldn't let my oldest nephew go to KI by himself for several more years, Haunt or not. He is 12 and was asking about Haunt and I just laughed and told him good luck with that until he is an adult. His mom isn't taking him and I don't do scary.

I went to KI the last Sunday of the season last year. It was cold and drizzling the entire time. It was a short wait, if any, for most rides. I had a blast getting in some last rides. I can't put words to why but riding The Beast when it is chilly and slightly drizzling is exhilarating.

That's horrible. I thought I had read that before but wasn't sure. How did that even get approved in the first place? Or am I just too sensitive? (I already know the answer...yes! )

I don't think these decisions have anything to do with people being too sensitive or easily offended. It is being sensitive to real life triggers and social perception. Social and media perception doesn't care about intention. It is smart of parks to evaluate what is happening in the real world and adjust their displays accordingly. People that attend events such as Haunt go because they want or expect to be scared. Those that attend the park during the day expect to see the Halloween displays but not to be terrified. Imagine trying to explain a beheaded display to a young child...or even middle schooler that is more aware of current events. When such displays mimic, intentionally or not, the very horrors we see on the news, it is a different story. Instead of a beheaded display, what if a park wanted to do a display that created a shooter type experience. If they used adults instead of children, would that make it okay? What would be said to someone that lived through such an experience in real life that wants to attend a Haunt as an escape or way to return to things they once enjoyed? That would be a PR nightmare with the park losing regardless of what they say or do to make it right. An ounce of prevention...

Not directly Haunt related but this could get you in the mood for your visit: http://canyouactually.com/9-of-the-most-terrifying-two-sentence-horror-stories-ever-told/ I read these this morning so I should be okay by bedtime...

Or the one at Carowinds. Yeouch! Of all the rides that my friend's son refuses to ride there, I don't blame him on that one.

I was at KI with my sister and her kids yesterday. Three things stood out to me: 1. Went on Flight of Fear and had one of my favorite rides. It was nearly pitch black and it was exhilarating knowing how close everything is but not being able to see. Ahhh! 2. My niece and nephews were having fun going through the pirate themed maze when my niece came running back after the second time saying that I had to come meet the mermaid. She was excited to guide me through and then proceeded to climb over the rocks and tell me to take her picture with the mermaid. The sweet teenager was quite gracious and patient with my niece and made her day. It is moments like this that may seem so simple to the adult but will remembered by the child forever. 3. The last two years, my sister and her kids didn't have passes and we tried to do everything in our one or two visits. That meant very cranky kids and an exhausted aunt. With them having passes, we can take our time and don't feel the pressure to pack it all in. Our visits now end with tired but happy kids looking forward to their next visit. I'm so grateful for their excitement and enthusiasm for Kings Island. I hope it continues as they get older.

There are interesting things to consider with WiFi and companies. If I remember correctly, companies have to make sure that any ticketing and point of sales system are completely seperate from the public system. Also, depending on the infrastructure, it can be quite the challenge to set up a strong and consistent WiFi signal. Have you ever heard someone complain about losing a free WiFi signal? It doesn't matter if it's free, some will still complain if they can't access it. In the scheme of things, I think KI will have a far easier time of this than non-profits and schools. A larger budget can pull many strings. Schools have been working hard to provide secure internet connections and computers for students to use for testing. For a great number of schools, aging infrastructure and limited funds are making it a struggle. I don't see KI having the same sort of challenges.

Was the joey in the petting zoo too? Or just one to observe? I held one a few weeks ago and could not stop smiling for the rest of the day. They are much softer than I imagined. If you like kangaroos, Nature had an interesting documentary about them a few years ago. Australians tend to view kangaroos the way we view deer. http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/kangaroo-mob/full-episode/7443/ I'm now excited for the petting zoo. It sounds way better than the one I saw at the state fair.

There's a llama...llama llama llama duck! And my youngest nephew is going to freak when we go. In the good way.

Magenta Lizard, you just made my day. I've been wondering how I was going to stomach Haunt to see the show. Crisis averted!

I don't remember. We had season passes until I was 8 when we left Dayton. The next time I went was Senior year in high school; I was devasted to find that the Smurf boat ride was gone. I might have to pull pictures from that visit. It looks as though there are either swings or bumper cars in the near background and a yellow building (with a white strip/top) farther out. The two other pictures I have of this ride are darker and hard to make out what is nearby.