disneygurlz2s

^^ I rode it in the morning (2nd row) and it was fine... I was thinking "wow" this isn't bad at all. Samantha and I went back and rode at 9:45, and we thought we were going to die. As for the credit whoring.... after I eat dinner, I will post the photos of my daughter and her crew. It was freaking hillarious!! Shari

Sammi and I had such a blast yesterday and it was great getting to meet all of you that we did. I was glad that my husband was able to join us at Strickers, so he could get an idea of what "getting credits" is all about. It made it a little easier to explain why his daughter came home $8 richer from Kings Island last night. (Jay... Samantha wants you to know she will remember you and will collect her $2 from you in the future!) Robb and Elissa... you guys are awesome! and you have been blessed with the cutest little "kissy cheeked" baby! Thanks to everyone for sharing a part of your trip with us. We hope you enjoyed your day yesterday at our home park. Have a safe trip home and rest up! The Disneygurlz... Shari and Sammi

I was hoping you guys would be at KI yesterday... I heard that it was a good day at Kennywood. Glad you had fun. I also did not know you were in a band. Wow, that must have been a busy day for you! Shari

Those clouds are just frightening!! Now do you SEE people, why I said they would close the rides at the THREAT of bad weather? That is not your typical summer t-storm!! In all seriousness, really bad weather happened all around you guys yesterday, including a storm in Marion, OH (between CP and Columbus) that resulted in a woman being killed when a tree smashed into her SUV. Glad you all survived Mother Nature. Even a "rain delay" would have to be a blast with that gang! Shari

Your pictures are just awesome, Jeff. Can't believe what beautiful countryside some of those parks are on. Shari

Ummm.. actually it was Disney that had the Golden Girls set (Touchstone tv shows and movies were heavily highlighted on the old backlot tour) and the Lights, Action, MotorCars Show was put it, which I actually thought was fantastic. At least you felt like you were getting the "behind the camera" look at movie-making that the park was getting away from. I was disappointed when Disney abandoned the idea of the working studio at WDW, especially with the animation department. As much as I love the park and it's "feel", I do think they need to rethink the concept and some of the attractions. After our visit last year, I commented in my trip report that I feel that an overhaul of the Great Movie Ride was seriously needed. There have been so many classic films (many from Disney and their subsidiarys) in the past 20 years, I would love to see the ride updated to reflect them. Shari

^^ Yeah, I heard that too. What's the deal? But SOB is open? I told Sammi we would ride that Sunday if it is. Shari

Terry you are so funny! I am sitting here wracking my brain trying to think of statues you can, um, enjoy when you get here to KI on Sunday. In Nick Universe, there is a statue of Patrick (from SpongeBob). I am pretty sure he's a perfect vict... I mean credit! I can't think of any others right now.... But I am sure if they are there, you and the Rough Riders will find them! Shari

Hadn't they tried to get rid of the "MGM" portion of the name before, only to have it stick? Last year, when we were there, everything referred to it simply as "Disney Studios", but all the signage remained "MGM". What bothers me more is the statement about getting away from "old Hollywood" or whatever they said, because that charm (the streetmosphere characters, art deco design, etc) is what have always endeared me to that park. Shari

^^ Ditto here... it's been a few years, but Breakers Express was along par with a Holiday Inn Express or Comfort Inn. The Breakers and Sandcastle Suites would probably be more in line with a higher end national chain. We never had an issue with cleanliness. You can also rent some condos/lakefront properties nightly, if you don't mind doing some web searching, but honestly, I think their affiliated hotels/motels are fine. Shari

What a shame that the weather is crappy. For you weather nay-sayers, I can tell you.... About 5 years ago, we took the girls and went up to CP on a Sunday afternoon for a Monday/Tuesday visit. On early Sunday evening, a storm blew in and off of that lake it was a SPECTACULAR and very scary sight. I am certain that the combination of all those metal structures combined with a body of water like Lake Erie, they are extra cautious! Hopefully the weather will clear and they can get some rides in tonight! Shari

^ Pretty much everything Zach said...... But I will add to it...... In my opinion, Saturday will be crowded regardless of the temperature. You may find during the main part of the day, Boomerang Bay can be a lot more crowded than the main park. If you are planning to do the waterpark, hit it the second it opens (usually 11, but I know Holiday World opened Splashin Safari 30 minutes earlier last Friday because of the heat), or wait until the end of the day. You will find the longest lines at the newest attractions (Firehawk) or those that have a low capacity (Face Off) so I agree with Zach about hitting them early, but at the same time, I am not big on criss-crossing the park like crazy. This is not a huge park, but it is substantial and on a hot day, you can waste a lot of time and energy going back and forth. KI was built in the 70's when the focus was having a central hub (the Eiffel Tower) with the areas going off in all directions from there. You can easily go in a clockwise or counter clockwise direction around the park. Unfortunately, even though this is my home park, I am really disappointed this year as I had high hopes for some major improvements with Cedar Fair coming in. So far, nothing to be too excited about. That said, though, it's still a nice park and you should have a great time. Shari

LOL... Derek, I would like to personally apply to be your first employee, and if I buy her a camera, Samantha will work for slightly less (kids admission prices, after all) as well. Shari

FASCINATION!?!?! That's it... I am going to Indiana Beach first chance I get. My mom LOVED that game. I can still remember the best prize I ever got. It was a Raggedy Ann and Andy stoneware 3 piece place setting. I think there's still a plate somewhere from it. I had no idea anyone still had a Fascination parlor. "It's California bingo, FASCINATION". That's what the "caller" used to say at LeSourdesville/Americana. It looks like you had a great time and that Kristen's holding up well. As for her dad seeing penquins, though, I am concerned. Shari

Are those rides always in the middle of the park (in Manhattan) or was that something special? Looks like a great time! Shari

OMG, Ted... don't let Samantha know that... she'll want to go to Wisconsin. She's already pissed I am not taking her up to Columbus to the Ohio State Fair on Thursday to see him. BTW, his name is Corbin Bleu and if my daughter wasn't such a wuss (scared off by unarmed security guards...really, that child needs to grow up ) we would have gotten to meet him at the HSM tour last January. Shari "Totally off topic, but around here, the world stops for HSM" Shoufler

Are you going to tell me that person (the picture complainer) is actually ON the trip?? Jeez!! I can tell you all, just from spending one day with the gang on Friday, Robb doesn't hardly sit down, and with the heat and everything it is exhausting. I did an 18 hour day (with travel) on Friday, and it took me two days to recover. I'll throw in a postive comment just to balance from the negative... now that I have gotten to meet and/or see some of the travelers in person, it makes these reports so much fun to read. I can't wait to see everyone again this weekend. Be safe in the stormy hot weather! Shari

LOL.... Honestly, with this terrible heat (assuming even Michigan's getting a taste of it as well), the waterparks crowd up almost immediately. I would suggest your strategy of hitting the waterpark towards the end of the day (if it's like KI and HW, the waterpark typically closes at dusk, around 7 or 8) if you don't want to deal with a crowd. We hit Splashin Safari at HW after 2:30 on Friday and it was still packed, although the lines moved decently for the couple big slides we did. Shari

Ha ha .... I was thinking the same thing! Glad you had a great second day! Shari

I believe she got it on her second try... I know they each had six balls, which still defeats my "mother knows best" theory of that game being impossible. Samantha is not going to let me forget it either!

So, for the third summer in a row, Sammi and I loaded up at the butt crack of dawn and headed 3 hours southwest to Holiday World. This year, it was with a bit of mixed emotion... Sad, because my mom Max, who accompanied us the past two seasons and LOVED the park, passed away less than two weeks ago... Excited, however, because we would FINALLY get to meet Robb and Elissa (and baby KidTums!) and be a part of the TPR wackiness we have been following online for the past few years. I woke up at 4 am (my husband says I am worse than a little kid) and we were on the road by 6:15. Samantha insisted we make our "traditional" stop at Cracker Barrel in Corydon, IN for breakfast, since that is what we had done the past two years with my mom. With breakfast out of the way, it was on to Holiday World. As soon as we approached the gate we saw all the TPRers with their blue backpacks and I instructed Sam to look for the stroller.... I have to admit to being pretty excited to meet KidTums (and her parents, too!) Since Paula at HW had arranged for the tour to have a few minutes of Voyage goodness before the park opened to the rest of us, Sammi and I caught up with the group in the Thanksgiving section and immediately had an awesome ride on Voyage. I LOVE that coaster. It has quickly become my favorite! Afterwards we checked out the new Turkey Whirl, and then were repeatedly beaten at Gobbler Getaway by Elissa and her dad. Sam and I spent the rest of the morning checking out the Fourth of July section and Holidog's Fun town, where the Howler kiddie coaster was quickly taken over by TPR's international visitors! At lunch, Elissa asked Sam if she would be interested in joining the tour group on the walk back of the Voyage. By now, Elissa could have asked Samantha to jump off the Holiday World water tower and Samantha would say "Yes!", because I could tell Samantha had found herself a new BFF. It was really cool to go "behind the scenes" as Sammi called it, and we got some great viewpoints and pictures. It was also a chance to meet a few members and start figuring out who was who. Following the walkback, we hit the Voyage for another ride and then Sammi and I headed to the waterpark for a few hours because it was HOT! HOT! HOT! The new Bakuli waterslide is a lot of fun, but Sammi's favorite remains the Bahari wave pool which is just brutal. I don't think I have been in a wilder wave pool ever! After dinner, Elissa promised to demonstrate for Samantha the proper peach basket ball-throwing technique. Of course, this totally wiped out nine years of my telling this child "No one can win that game", because Elissa easily scored a win for her new BFF. By now I could have just left the park and Sammi wouldn't have missed me........ We rode several other rides throughout the day and evening, and had planned to cap off the evening with Legend and Raven. Legend was up first, and frankly, it was brutal. In a BAD way. Two years ago, when we first visited, I preferred Legend to Raven, but on this night, it reminded me too much of the Beast in that I was concerned about a brain bleed. We headed next for Raven, only to be denied.... it was not running due to a maintenance problem we were told. So, with darkness upon us, Sammi and I began chugging towards Voyage, only to pass Robb and several others who informed us it, too, was down. Although it appeared both had reopened before the night was over, I knew we had a long drive ahead of us, and I was getting a bit of a headache. So, we capped off the night with a spin on the flyers, which, for the first time, had NO line at all, and Samantha (who up to that point failed to understand the glory of the Flying Scooter) enjoyed her ride a lot. With a quick stop to tell Elissa, Kristen and the Whites (Elissa's folks are super NICE people! Her dad is a riot!!) goodnight, we hit the gift shop for some quick shopping and then headed home to Cincinnati. I'll say it again and again... for a great theme park experience, head to Santa Claus, Indiana. The Kochs deserve every award they get for hosting such an outstanding family park! Shari "Thanks to all for such a great day" Shoufler (and Sammi, too!) Sammi and her new BFF (and her peach basket prize). Thanks Elissa!! "No one ever wins.....er, nevermind" The Alveys get a pet for Kristen! More Voyage goodness! The backside of NINETY DEGREES! And coming back out the other side! Into a tunnel..... Samantha, Super DuckTums and NINETY DEGREES! Sammi and Super DuckTums loved going "behind the scenes". Sammi's favorite flat ride, Revolution. KidTums meets her new pal, DuckTums! TPR's international vistors were not about to miss a credit! Sammi appears upset to be the only KID on the KIDDIE coaster! The new Turkey Whirl! Loved it!! With this on the welcome board it was easy to know there would be a fun day ahead!

That's really the only place I would describe it as 'slow", the rest of the time it was screaming fast and very smooth for a wooden coaster, IMO. Shari

OK.... So, first of all.... I have a total too much heat/sun/roller coasters +lack of sleep hangover this morning, but it was TOTALLY worth it! Yesterday was such a blast!! Thanks R+E for allowing Sammi and I to hang with you all yesterday. We were still laughing as we walked in the door (at 1:15 this morning) about the fact that Russ' pants were still soaking wet as we were saying goodbye last night (perhaps he WAS serious about that "no bathroom" thing!!) I will post our TR, as soon as I get some food and caffeine in me... until then, our thanks for the awesome time and here's hoping you have as much fun on the remainder of the trip as everyone had yesterday. See you next Sunday, The disneygurlz..... Shari and Sammi

^^ I definitely intend to.... while I am changing my plans up a bit, I am still taking off next Friday to head to Holiday World. Mom really loved going there the past two years, and I know she will be with Sammi and I in spirit. Thank you ALL for your kind words. We just got home from the funeral and luncheon after, and I am doing pretty good. I gave the eulogy, which I worked on a practiced all week, and I was very proud of it. When I concluded it, even though we were in Church, I got a round of applause and everyone said how I had done a beautiful job honoring my mother and asked me to email them copies of it. I was so pleased, because I considered that my final gift to her. Shari

Sunday morning, my best friend and a fellow amusement park fan, passed away at the age of 81. She was my mom, Maxine. My love of amusement parks goes back to summer afternoon and evenings in the late 1960's when my mom and dad would load me in the car and we would head to Old Coney or LeSourdesville Lake (aka Americana). Along with my older brother and sister (and eventually their spouses and my nieces and nephews) we made memories that will last a lifetime. Mom loved amusement parks. She never rode a coaster wilder than the Teddy Bear (aka Scooby Doo/Beastie/FOC), but she loved a lot of the old classic rides. TumbleBug, the Whip, Cuddle Up, Flying Scooters, etc. She also loved the live shows, games (skeeball and Fascination were favorites) and especially fireworks. Mom pretty much had a Kings Island pass every year since they were introduced, and she had a senior pass in her desk drawer at the nursing home, just waiting to be processed. Unfortunately, her health just did not allow it. Her park credits included Old Coney, KI, Americana, Fantasy Farm, Cedar Point, Sea World of Ohio, Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Holiday World and WDW. Our last theme park trip was in June of 06 when she went with Sammi and I to Holiday World. Even though she was in a wheelchair and required oyxgen therapy at night, we spent two full days there and mom rode the antique cars, Gobbler Getaway, and Thunder Rapids 3 times! She even put her swimsuit on and dipped her feet in the kiddie area at Splashin Safari. In preparing photo collages to take with us to the visitation and funeral, my niece and I assembled an entire "salute to theme park visits". Mom on the carousel at Winterfest, mom playing skeeball at Holiday World last summer, and one of my favorites, mom with Minnie at her birthday dinner at the Liberty Tree Tavern at WDW back in 1997. We made so many great memories that I will carry my whole life. For all of you out there, especially you younger "kids", if you are fortunate enough to have parents who love to go to the parks, even if they don't ride the wildest thrill rides, take them with you when you can. Someday it will mean so much more to you. I would like to share a few pictures..... Thanks for letting me share this with all of you...... Shari "I'm a 40 year old orphan now" Shoufler Still going, even in a wheelchair.... Holday World, last summer Kings Island opening season 1972