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Went to Kings Island for opening night of Winterfest and all I can say is that Cedar Fair really needs to consider selling FastLane for the event. Just about every ride that was open had a full queue (or longer, such as Boo Blasters and the Antique Cars). The KI app listed a 0 minute wait for Mystic Timbers and Flight of Fear when we arrived at 5:30, but the line attendant at MT said the regular wait was 90 minutes (most of the queue was full) and the Single Rider line was about an hour. Flight of Fear’s attendant (sorry, Flight of Cheer!) said the wait was 2 hours. So considering Carowinds and Kings Dominion both sell FastLane for Winterfest, I don’t see why KI wouldn’t want to make a little extra cash… and I’d be more than willing to spend it! That said, Winterfest is an incredible event. The park looks absolutely amazing with all the lights and I still say the Eiffel Tower Christmas tree is one of the most impressive Christmas light displays I have ever seen. I could just sit on International Street all night and watch the patterns change and watch the locals skate around on the International Fountain’s Snowflake Lake. My wife thought the “snow” was a cute touch as well. I am hoping to get back on a Sunday before the event is over in hopes the lines might not be as bad. So just an FYI to anyone going… be prepared to wait if you plan on riding. Also, get there early. We got a late start and as I mentioned earlier, we did not get to Mason until around 4:55. The traffic getting in to the park from 71 was pretty much bumper to bumper the whole way. The security checkpoints were also backed up, but to be fair, they were doing a good job of moving people through. Also, make sure you know what you want to experience. There are a ton of upcharge things to do (cookie decorating, Santa photos, ice skating/skate rental, etc), and there is plenty of Winterfest merch, so be ready to spend!

I've learned not to trust the posted hours the day of... for years they started closing the park at a drop of rain during the week. They would say the weather wasn't safe, but really its "oh well, we ain't gonna make enough money today so shut down and send everyone home." Not to trust pretty much anything about a SF, sadly. They have so many good people, they just don't know how to train them correctly.

Not sure if Dollywood runs the rides throughout the year. I'm sure they have to close some when it gets really cold. I was fortunate to visit earlier in the Holiday season and the weather was great. I hope you enjoy your visit Bert. It really is a great place to get lost in the scenery, food, shows and of course rides. If you are a show person, make sure to check them out because I have heard they are amazing. They have a schedule of the shows at the front of the park which I felt was easier to navigate than their APP. I didn't really see any benefit to the app other than checking rides wait times but even those weren't very accurate. It said 15 minute wait for Lightning Rod and it ended up being a walk on! Larry, we all are classics in some way on the Theme Park Review Forum! Haha! I forgot to look at the Park Index before I went on the trip so I didn't know which rides signs you needed. Hopefully you can use some for the Index!

I am sure that if one of the many pass or membership options that they have tried was successful, our old membership price would be subject to change or discontinuation. Since they haven't been successful in driving attendance, I don't think they want to lose us too. They are kind of leaving the existing customers safe for now while they experiment with new customers until they find a balance that works.

good timing, . . I'll be at Dollywood for the 1st time (ever!) in less than 2 weeks! really enjoying so far, and looking forward to the rest!

Great report so far, keep it coming! Dollywood runs the entire park during the Christmas season?

Zambezi Zinger lead car was revealed at the IAAPA expo this past week. Safari jeep themed Infinity Flyer trains!

It's insane to me that anyone still believes that parks actually care about this. Anyway, be right back. They just called my boarding group for Tron.

They are never going to tell you the actual reason for not running the event which is obviously financial.

Isn't Six Flags in NJ in a colder climate than STL? They still hold HIP