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Kings Island (KI) Discussion Thread

p. 832: Camp Snoopy announced for 2024!

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The only parks I've been to in recent years where groupers were present have been Carowinds (@ Intimidator & Fury 325)and SeaWorld Orlando (@ Mako). I have been able to request my seat and get it all but once since those rides opened. The one time I didn't get it was on one of my Fury 325 rides in 2015 where they were a lot more strict on seat requests. I usually go to parks when I know they aren't going to be very busy, so that's why I hadn't had to deal with it at any other parks. I'll be going to KI for the first time next year and won't hesitate to ask. Just be really nice and there's no need to be scared...lol

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Cedar Fair groupers... scaring the sh*t out of coaster enthusiasts since 2017.

 

 

Lol just kindly ask for a specific row and they'll give it to you most of the time.

 

For most coasters I don't have an issue of where the grouper puts me - I just want to get on the ride. Thankfully the Beast doesn't have assigned seating because if I don't wait for the front seat I always have to sit in a non-wheel seat elsewhere on the train.

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I always get too scared to ask a grouper for a specific seat.

 

 

Cedar Fair groupers... scaring the sh*t out of coaster enthusiasts since 2017.

 

Really how is this scary? "Hello! Is it ok if me and my friends sit in row [fill in the blank]?

 

That's it, that's all. They either say yes or no. I've had both happen, but usually the former. Just ask nicely and smile.

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I always get too scared to ask a grouper for a specific seat.

 

 

Cedar Fair groupers... scaring the sh*t out of coaster enthusiasts since 2017.

 

Really how is this scary? "Hello! Is it ok if me and my friends sit in row [fill in the blank]?

 

That's it, that's all. They either say yes or no. I've had both happen, but usually the former. Just ask nicely and smile.

 

I think you're overestimating how easy it is for some enthusiasts to actually converse with people in real life. Especially if that might mean they could be "rejected" with their request. For some, it's worse than being rejected by a girl

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Well if the grouper tells me a specific row I go there.
I always get too scared to ask a grouper for a specific seat.

 

 

Cedar Fair groupers... scaring the sh*t out of coaster enthusiasts since 2017.

 

Really how is this scary? "Hello! Is it ok if me and my friends sit in row [fill in the blank]?

 

That's it, that's all. They either say yes or no. I've had both happen, but usually the former. Just ask nicely and smile.

Speaking as a CF ride op, it's because for every well-behaved guest or guest that asks nicely for a specific seat, there's about 4x as many who think the grouper's only function is to ruin their fun. Which is double the fun for us when working at a ride that must be perfectly balanced or will likely fault and trap the riders in the air and/or inverted for several hours.

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I always get too scared to ask a grouper for a specific seat.

 

 

Cedar Fair groupers... scaring the sh*t out of coaster enthusiasts since 2017.

 

Really how is this scary? "Hello! Is it ok if me and my friends sit in row [fill in the blank]?

 

That's it, that's all. They either say yes or no. I've had both happen, but usually the former. Just ask nicely and smile.

Eh. I just get scared that they are going to say no. Lol. Same reason a boy my age is scared to ask out another guy or girl. I'm also scared that even if I smile and ask politely that they'll still think I'm a brat or something. Honestly, I don't know why I'm so scared of them when I've talked to actual adults to arrange group volunteer events for my school's chapter of FCCLA.

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I always get too scared to ask a grouper for a specific seat.

 

 

Cedar Fair groupers... scaring the sh*t out of coaster enthusiasts since 2017.

 

Really how is this scary? "Hello! Is it ok if me and my friends sit in row [fill in the blank]?

 

That's it, that's all. They either say yes or no. I've had both happen, but usually the former. Just ask nicely and smile.

Eh. I just get scared that they are going to say no. Lol. Same reason a boy my age is scared to ask out another guy or girl. I'm also scared that even if I smile and ask politely that they'll still think I'm a brat or something. Honestly, I don't know why I'm so scared of them when I've talked to actual adults to arrange group volunteer events for my school's chapter of FCCLA.

 

I've had them say no to me. Trust me if that happens you'll forget about it 2 minutes later when you're on the ride and enjoying it in spite of not sitting where you wanted. But if you don't ask at all you're totally giving up an opportunity you might have to nab the seat you want. Just ask. How bad is it if they say no? Just do it. Report back. We're all rooting for you.

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I always get too scared to ask a grouper for a specific seat.

 

 

Cedar Fair groupers... scaring the sh*t out of coaster enthusiasts since 2017.

 

Really how is this scary? "Hello! Is it ok if me and my friends sit in row [fill in the blank]?

 

That's it, that's all. They either say yes or no. I've had both happen, but usually the former. Just ask nicely and smile.

Eh. I just get scared that they are going to say no. Lol. Same reason a boy my age is scared to ask out another guy or girl. I'm also scared that even if I smile and ask politely that they'll still think I'm a brat or something. Honestly, I don't know why I'm so scared of them when I've talked to actual adults to arrange group volunteer events for my school's chapter of FCCLA.

 

I've had them say no to me. Trust me if that happens you'll forget about it 2 minutes later when you're on the ride and enjoying it in spite of not sitting where you wanted. But if you don't ask at all you're totally giving up an opportunity you might have to nab the seat you want. Just ask. How bad is it if they say no? Just do it. Report back. We're all rooting for you.

Thanks. Although the next park I will probably be visiting will probably be my home park, SDC and they only have groupers on the rarest of occasions, usually during the Christmas season and during Spring Break. And the next new park will probably either be Cedar Point next summer and then Silverwood, which I doubt has groupers considering the size of their park.

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Lol. I always get too scared to ask a grouper for a specific seat.

God help you if you have to ask someone out on a date.

Eh. I'm usually asked more than I have to ask myself. For some reason guys are usually attracted to my perky and naive personality. I'm usually a lot more confident when I'm not all alone in a different state.

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Ya'll have it all wrong! Diamondback is best in the front (personally, row 2 on the edge).

I agree with this wholeheartedly. You still get a front-row experience with far less wait in row two. Last two times I rode, I asked for that row because both times I'd get right on the next train coming in.

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The main one that I care enough to ask is Fury. The reason I don't like to ask all the time is I'm efficiency oriented myself, so when I see someone saying "How many? row 2. How many? row 3... etc." I kinda hate to bust into their rhythm and ask for a certain seat. For me it's more that I hate to interrupt them.

 

But I still do occasionally...

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^I feel you there, especially if there is a long line. I generally don't ask for the front (since I prefer the back usually anyways) or I'll say "Can we sit towards the front?" If I'm a single rider, I'll look for rows with other single riders closest to the row I want to sit in, and then request that row.

 

Also, when there is no single rider line on coasters (which is most) and I get off and notice another single rider, I will walk up to that person and ask them directly if they are riding alone (for seats of two) or if they are a group of three (for seats 4-across). I don't think I've ever had anyone say "no" unless I miscalculated and there actually was someone else going for that row. I've been able to get multiple rerides on both Fury and I305 doing it this way, even rerides in the front.

 

It's like, is the possibility of rejection really that big a deal that you'd pass up a front-row ride on Fury without having to wait again??

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I came back from my first trip to Kings Island for the first time with my brother and dad a few days ago. The park is great, and has a similar feel to Kings Dominion and Carowinds. The operations are great. I didn't eat in the park that much, but the blueberry ice cream is really nice! We went for two days, and halfway through the second day we took a quick drive to Coney Island which is a nice little place. They have an amazing Rock-O-Plane, an extremely forceful Round-Up, this weird Wipeout ride, an SBF/Visa looping frisbee, a Tempest (these things don't look like much, but they're fun!), and a Galaxy-type coaster that had a little bit of airtime on it. There's not much else to say about Coney Island. There were some decently large crowds at KI, but I was able to use coasterqueue to avoid huge lines! It's my second-favorite Cedar Fair park, obviously not as good as Kings Island. Now for the important part, rides:

 

Banshee x 4 - I loved this ride! It has great speed and gives the best sensation of flying I've ever gotten on a coaster. The first half is more relaxing, and once you get to the pretzel knot element, that kicks off the more forceful second half. A little rattly, but it's smoother near the front. It's not quite in my top tier of inverted coasters, but it's fantastic.

Drop Tower

Delirium

Invertigo - Not as smooth as the one at Dorney. But the restraints are pretty soft, so it's good.

Adventure Express - Really quick for a mine train. The trains also have a lot of legroom for a mine train. The turns are jerky and a lot of fun! It would probably be a highlight if it were in almost any other park.

Racer - I didn't like it as much as Rebel Yell, but still a nice woodie. Just like Rebel Yell though, first half has great airtime and second half is a little lacking.

Windseeker

Vortex x 2 - Actually not as good as I was expecting, I preferred Anaconda (which I love BTW). The rattle makes it uncomfortable to re-ride, but other than that it's normal Arrow jerkiness, which I'm fine with. Some good forces here.

Monster - Got a ton of spinning.

Shake, Rattle & Roll

The Beast x 4 - Two of these were night rides after the park closed. Really weird but super fun experience. It almost feels like you're in a convertible car driving through the woods because of the random brakes, lol. The laterals are pretty good, and that helix is so fast!!!!! The best seat is the second-to-last row. At night it's really dark, and while this coaster isn't for me, I see the appeal and kind of see why people rank it super high. I'd say it's in my top 15 or top 20 wood probably.

Race For Your Life Charlie Brown x 2 - Nice flume! It's really fast and rickety through the trough, and even though the drop is small, it's pretty good. Don't miss it!

Woodstock Express - Great air in the first drop and especially the second drop in the back.

Diamondback x 2 - Great coaster. The drop and first two airtime hills make for the best start to any B&M hyper I've been on. The trimmed hill still gives good air, and there's some airtime in the second half. Not as consistently good throughout the whole ride as Nitro or Apollo, but miles ahead of Intrimidator! I sat in the last two cars.

Mystic Timbers x 4 - Best ride in the park! I came out of my seat a little in the back on the first drop despite it being a curved drop. The rest of the is relentless speed and rapid-fire airtime hills and quick turns. The shed is kind of dumb, but it's alright. I got the snakes twice and bats twice. I thought it was slightly better than Thunderhead, making it my favorite GCI. Much better than Lightning Racer and Roar as well. The back few seats are the best on this ride. Two of the rides were night rides as well, and it was better than the Beast!

Backlot Stunt Coaster

Flight of Fear - Not as smooth as Joker's Jinx or KD's FOF, but still good, I don't know why some people hate it.

Firehawk

The Bat x 4 - Such a criminally underrated coaster! It ended up being my third favorite coaster in the park. The location is beautiful, and even though the ride is short, it's so fast and has some kick-ass force to it! The swinging is strong as well. The front seat is the best, although the back has a little airtime on the drop. It's also really smooth.

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When you said it was the second best CF park, you said not as good as King's Island. Did you mean not as good as Cedar Point? Attraction vs attraction I agree with you, but we enjoy KI much more than CP.

 

It's funny how people have such a different perspectives on coasters. I tried so hard to have fun on Apollo, as I'm a big B&M hyper fan, but I could not. That coaster just did nothing for me, where as Diamondback is an absolute airtime machine in my book.

 

Glad you had a good time.

Edited by prozach626
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I just wish I could have experienced any of what so many other people say about Apollo, including the return run. I sat in the front and the back. I hope my experience next Friday is different. I definitely intend on giving it another shot. Last time, Verbolten and Griffin were our favorites.

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When you said it was the second best CF park, you said not as good as King's Island. Did you mean not as good as Cedar Point? Attraction vs attraction I agree with you, but we enjoy KI much more than CP.

 

It's funny how people have such a different perspective on coasters. I tried so hard to have fun on Apollo, as I'm a big B&M hyper fan, but I could not. That coaster just did nothing for me, where as Diamondback is an absolute airtime machine in my book.

 

We seem to have a lot in common. I, too, don't get the love for Apollo either and think it's the weakest of the coasters at BGW (need to get back there to ride Tempesto). I don't recall getting the airtime that Diamondback gives on Apollo despite having a few good drops in the layout.

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I just wish I could have experienced any of what so many other people say about Apollo, including the return run. I sat in the front and the back. I hope my experience next Friday is different. I definitely intend on giving it another shot. Last time, Verbolten and Griffin were our favorites.

 

There's a ridiculous difference between Apollo in the very last row and in any other row (based on your post you may have already sat there but if you just sat NEAR the back but not in the very back then I'd suggest giving it a shot). If that doesn't work, head to the Festhaus for an hour or so and then ride it and see if that improves the ride experience.

 

The first time I ever rode it I thought it was fun but underwhelming but it's been slowly growing on me over time. It's not a world-beating ride but it's still an absolute blast.

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