I'm hoping to visit this week to get in a couple rides on The Racer and Mystic Timbers. 

4 hours ago, CoasterJack said:

Literally just left, otherwise I would've checked. Tonight was possibly the most dead I've seen the park in ages. Enjoyed 15 minutes of ice skating by myself, solo train on Flight of Fear, and was the only person eating at Coney BBQ. After looking at the other Winterfest parks, apparently we're the only one open during this week (outside of Knotts, which well runs 365). I know it usually picks up later in the week, but still caught myself off guard.

It was a great night and great that management operated as advertised despite the bad weather at the start. 
 

KI is open daily beginning today (Monday Dec 16) but they close New Year’s Eve  

KD doesn’t open daily until this Friday, but they are staying open until January 4

Carowinds has the best schedule.  They are open daily from this Wednesday until January 4 plus opened 2 weeks before KI and KD  
 

As much labor as they have involved in decorating the park, they should find a way to operate as much as possible and get the people to support it.    It’s a lot of effort for 23 operating days. 

It was definitely a great night after an iffy beginning. The parade happened with all show stops and even the 9:30 Yuletide Follies occurred as scheduled with slightly modified blocking to avoid slick spots on the steps.

Made it to Winterfest, forgot my life jacket. 

5 hours ago, Timchat2 said:

It was definitely a great night after an iffy beginning. The parade happened with all show stops and even the 9:30 Yuletide Follies occurred as scheduled with slightly modified blocking to avoid slick spots on the steps.

Way better than the drizzly wash out that Saturday was (about 4 hrs early LOL) 

1 hour ago, Tr0y said:

Made it to Winterfest, forgot my life jacket. 

Are you on a cruise or something?

5 minutes ago, BeeastFarmer said:

Are you on a cruise or something?

He is looking for schells 

2 hours ago, disco2000 said:

He is looking for schells 

I do enjoy a good schell game. 

Enjoyed my visit last night. I did not end up doing the buffet....but enjoyed my meal at Coney BBQ. 

Racer in December just hits different. So fun!!! Snoopy's Soap Box Racers was a nice addition. The lights around the train have been mostly fixed...there were still fixtures that left the people decapitated, missing an arm, or just not on at all. Music played which was a plus.

Snow Works only allowed for 2-3 lanes to be used. 

I tried two of the cocktails, which ended up being good. 

7 hours ago, Orion-XL200 said:

Enjoyed my visit last night. I did not end up doing the buffet....but enjoyed my meal at Coney BBQ. 

Racer in December just hits different. So fun!!! Snoopy's Soap Box Racers was a nice addition. The lights around the train have been mostly fixed...there were still fixtures that left the people decapitated, missing an arm, or just not on at all. Music played which was a plus.

Snow Works only allowed for 2-3 lanes to be used. 

I tried two of the cocktails, which ended up being good. 

Snow Works is one of the few disappointments at WinterFest. It pales in comparison to the snow tube attraction for Christmas at Kentucky Kingdom. 

3 minutes ago, DonHelbig said:

Snow Works is one of the few disappointments at WinterFest. It pales in comparison to the snow tube attraction for Christmas at Kentucky Kingdom. 

I will give Snow Works a few points, because we actually went further down the decline than on Black Friday when we only went a couple of inches.

54 minutes ago, Orion-XL200 said:

I will give Snow Works a few points, because we actually went further down the decline than on Black Friday when we only went a couple of inches.

That day little kids didn't make it to the bottom of the hill.

If only Snow Works went this fast...

 

On 12/18/2024 at 4:11 PM, Diamondback_Is_King said:

If only Snow Works went this fast...

 

It would be full of trims. 

I ate at the Winterfest buffet tonight.  I must say, this might have been the best experience I've had in the IR (and I've had a lot of good ones!). The turkey was very good, along with the carved beef, but the real stars of the show were the mashed potatoes and stuffing. It's "easy" to make mashed potatoes good, but how in the heck do you make stuffing the star of the show? Well, Chef Perez seemed to find a way! It had something to do with the super-fresh breading along with a hint of jalapeño. A friend of mine passed on the stuffing at first because he "doesn't like jalapeño" (different friend with a limited palette, not Don!) but he was convinced to try it and admitted that it was some of the best stuffing he had ever had! It worked so well!

I didn't take photos of the food because that's already out there, but here is a photo of the setting/view:

Also, it was originally reported the desserts were and uncharge. Either that wasn't accurate or the policy changed because we got desserts as a table service at the end of our meal. There were three or four options. I opted for the dark chocolate brownie with peppermint garnishing. It was also one of the better sweet treats that I have had at the park. 

 

The cost was $40, minus a ~10% discount for season pass holders. I know it's kind of tough to fork out a cash for a meal when you have the meal plan, but if you have the means, you really should do it! 

If you look up the buffet on the web site, it prompts you for New Years Eve tickets; however, don't be confused because this is first come, first serve, walk up. I highly recommend checking the web site if you intend to eat the buffet as it is only on select dates. 

https://www.visitkingsisland.com/events/winterfest/attractions/international-restaurant-winter-buffet

It was tough to forego the limited-time-only Holiday Meatloaf Burger for this, but no regrets!

I've been wanting to experience it but knowing my luck whatever night I get free to drive up there, it'll be sold out for a private event 

1 hour ago, johnjniehaus said:

I've been wanting to experience it but knowing my luck whatever night I get free to drive up there, it'll be sold out for a private event 

It's a great experience. And look at the bright side: if it's sold out, you can go ride Mystic Timbers, The Racer, flight of Cheer and get a meatloaf burger!