Kings Island (KI) Discussion Thread

[BitterOldHag]

^  The Platinum Pass FastLane Add On is $850, so it's a little pricier than the $299.  I bought mine from Canada's Wonderlands site and that way you get the Canadian conversion rate (something like $675 instead).  I plan on visiting CP and KI multiple times this season, plus make a trip to Carowinds, so I am looking forward to having FastLane already paid for.  I am actually selfishly hoping that CP doesn't offer it to the GP this season.  Everything would be a walk on as there were very few people with season long FastLane last year.

I told a friend of mine that I had spent $800+ on a Platinum Pass and FL and was roundly laughed at.  We'll see who's laughing when I walk past them in the Steel Vengeance line and get on twice before they even move. 

[AmyUD06]

2 minutes ago, JJLehto said:

Ah good to know, thanks! Hmmm so thats added to my platinum pass? aka I get the fast lane for use at ANY of the Cedar Fair parks? If so....$299 is hefty but to use it for 4 or more parks not a bad deal tbh

Haha....$299 is for the Kings Dominion-only all-season Fast Lane.  The all-park is $875.  I added it to my Platinum as soon as they offered it last year after two kinda miserable trips to both CP and KI without it, and then got 3 days at each park with it.  For me, that paid for itself.  The fact that its valid all this year too is just icing on the cake.

If you go to the parks enough it's doesn't work out that bad math-wise.  Figure $150 a day at CP, $75-95 a day at KI or KD...you really only need like 7 days (or 5 to CP) to make it worthwhile.

I've reached the point in my life where waiting with the public more than 15 minutes makes me want to blow my brains out, so it's completely invaluable to me.

[AmyUD06]

14 minutes ago, BitterOldHag said:

^  The Platinum Pass FastLane Add On is $850, so it's a little pricier than the $299.  I bought mine from Canada's Wonderlands site and that way you get the Canadian conversion rate (something like $675 instead).  I plan on visiting CP and KI multiple times this season, plus make a trip to Carowinds, so I am looking forward to having FastLane already paid for.  I am actually selfishly hoping that CP doesn't offer it to the GP this season.  Everything would be a walk on as there were very few people with season long FastLane last year.

I told a friend of mine that I had spent $800+ on a Platinum Pass and FL and was roundly laughed at.  We'll see who's laughing when I walk past them in the Steel Vengeance line and get on twice before they even move. 

Amen brother.  My trips before having it and after were night and day.  My only desire for single-day FL sales is for when I bring friends who don't have the same enthusiasm for parks as I do.  Normally I spring for it for them, but dropping another thousand for someone else who won't go half the times that I do takes some thought.

Though I have to say I'm surprised that CF hasn't caught on to the "trick" of buying Platinum Passes and add-ons through CW's site and started mandating that you "check in" with whatever park you bought the pass from first like SF and SEAS do.

[JJLehto]

43 minutes ago, Mike240SX said:

Haha....$299 is for the Kings Dominion-only all-season Fast Lane.  The all-park is $875.  I added it to my Platinum as soon as they offered it last year after two kinda miserable trips to both CP and KI without it, and then got 3 days at each park with it.  For me, that paid for itself.  The fact that its valid all this year too is just icing on the cake.

If you go to the parks enough it's doesn't work out that bad math-wise.  Figure $150 a day at CP, $75-95 a day at KI or KD...you really only need like 7 days (or 5 to CP) to make it worthwhile.

I've reached the point in my life where waiting with the public more than 15 minutes makes me want to blow my brains out, so it's completely invaluable to me.

OK THAT makes sense. Bc yeah I was like wtf thats a pretty great deal! How is it not already sold out??? That would be why XD  875 is..... a lot. Sadly too much for me. I'm a student, I have $ put away for this trip and exta ofc but that's too much for me. I'm with you my tolerance for waiting has gone down with time. If I had income coming in I'd throw that 875 and go enough to justify it but not in the cards this year. Ah well, part of my planning was to hit weekdays and try to do this off peak season to minimize crowds anyway so oof, yeah idk hopefully crowds will be tolerable anyway. Deff not worth it given my current state. If I could afford it oh I would totally!! Like the above comment said, would be able to blow by "GP" no more SV fast lane lines that are 45-60 minutes.

Can't wait for things to return to fully normal! For now though I shall risk the normal lines and hope good timing will shine upon me. 



 

[AmyUD06]

Weekdays in July and August, if anything like last year, should be manageable.  I think the longest I waited for anything at KI was an hour for Beast.

[JJLehto]

2 hours ago, Mike240SX said:

Weekdays in July and August, if anything like last year, should be manageable.  I think the longest I waited for anything at KI was an hour for Beast.

And it'll be a weekday in June. Again, normally I'd not have any concern and last time I did this (visiting KI after Coastermania) the park was pretty dead. Was wonderful. With protocols and all ya know, tad more anxious but ultimately not gunna sweat it. 

[pianojohn]

15 hours ago, bert425 said:

 

wow.

were you able to get a ticket?

(how about you, @pianojohn)

YES!  Got tickets for both! Haven't been to KI for a few years, and missed Cedar Point last summer for the first time since 1976!  Seriously! I have gone every year from 1976-2019, working there 1986-90 and 2000.  

[coasternut]

21 hours ago, bert425 said:

 

wow.

were you able to get a ticket?

(how about you, @pianojohn)

Yes! I was logged on at 7am my time to get it

[coasternut]

21 hours ago, KIEnthusiast said:

Wow

Did 2020 ticket buyers

get priority?

No just a free for all...

[bert425]

wonder what the total attendance was set at?     

Did they attempt to keep it smaller, and hence sold out so quickly?

hope to meet up with some of my fellow TPR folks while there!

[tndank]

39 minutes ago, bert425 said:

wonder what the total attendance was set at?     

Did they attempt to keep it smaller, and hence sold out so quickly?

hope to meet up with some of my fellow TPR folks while there!

Pretty sure it sold out just as fast last year when we had no idea that things would go south.

 

[teacherkim]

Yeah  I know it was sold out by late afternoon last year because an acquaintance tried to get tickets at that point, but not sure how quickly before that it happened.

[prozach626]

On 4/5/2021 at 1:26 PM, BitterOldHag said:

I told a friend of mine that I had spent $800+ on a Platinum Pass and FL and was roundly laughed at.  We'll see who's laughing when I walk past them in the Steel Vengeance line and get on twice before they even move. 

It very well may be your friends laughing at the person hanging out all by themself.

[AmyUD06]

16 minutes ago, prozach626 said:

It very well may be your friends laughing at the person hanging out all by themself.

Hey now, I hang out by myself at parks all the time.  The last time I went to a park with someone was 2019, pre-COVID.

[njcoasterguy34]

I also hang out at parks by myself quite often.  I'm quite introverted, so don't have a huge amount of friends, and not many of my friends are into amusement parks like I am.

[WolfBobs]

Ironically I don't typically enjoy a day at my homepark alone, but I am more than comfortable hoping on a plane or driving to some new park and spending the day by myself.   Probably cause I'm exploring and enjoying everything a new to me park has to offer while at CP or KI (two closest "homeparks") I feel that I have been there and done it all so I prefer company.  

But there is absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying a park by yourself.  

True freedom is when you become comfortable enough to go to movie theaters alone.  

[njcoasterguy34]

I've done that many times as well.

[JJLehto]

Fair, also depends on the mindset. Like, I'd say I deff have a better experience with others, but unless Im with fellow enthusiasts (which has only happened like 3 times in my life) I just wont do as much/quite what I want and generally expect a more chill day and less interest about riding stuff and some more about hanging out. Which is perfectly fine! 

If I go solo, I can maximize. Like I know I'll be there at open, can move at the speed I want, do the day how I want, move at a pace others dont and gunna skim/cut other things to get the most rides done. Which I enjoy as well. Nothing like a plan going perfectly and you can just beast a park. 

Just depends how I'm feeling/keeping it in mind. A park w/ fellow enthusiasts yeah that's the golden ticket but Im not so lucky.....my friends tend to drift lazily around and stop frequently and not really care about gate opening/beating crowds which was unfortunate at CP when they decided nothing more than 30 mins wait (lol) so it was the antique cars, log flume a few times, the mine ride I think. I shared this story here before but it cost me my 1st ride of Maverick. They didnt know...coasters are coasters, I did say oh hey I missed this last time would realllly like to do it an hour sucks but itll be worth it but nope. So I think for a while I had a backlash against doing parks with people LOL

[VegasBaby]

40 minutes ago, JJLehto said:

Fair, also depends on the mindset. Like, I'd say I deff have a better experience with others, but unless Im with fellow enthusiasts (which has only happened like 3 times in my life) I just wont do as much/quite what I want and generally expect a more chill day and less interest about riding stuff and some more about hanging out. Which is perfectly fine! 

If I go solo, I can maximize. Like I know I'll be there at open, can move at the speed I want, do the day how I want, move at a pace others dont and gunna skim/cut other things to get the most rides done. Which I enjoy as well. Nothing like a plan going perfectly and you can just beast a park. 

Just depends how I'm feeling/keeping it in mind. A park w/ fellow enthusiasts yeah that's the golden ticket but Im not so lucky.....my friends tend to drift lazily around and stop frequently and not really care about gate opening/beating crowds which was unfortunate at CP when they decided nothing more than 30 mins wait (lol) so it was the antique cars, log flume a few times, the mine ride I think. I shared this story here before but it cost me my 1st ride of Maverick. They didnt know...coasters are coasters, I did say oh hey I missed this last time would realllly like to do it an hour sucks but itll be worth it but nope. So I think for a while I had a backlash against doing parks with people LOL

I am fairly similar when I visit the parks.  When I'm with friends and family, it's more about enjoying the park at a leisurely pace than riding as many rides as I can.  I'll still get there before park opening, but I'll let who I'm with dictate how the day goes.  But when I visit a park by myself, especially when I've traveled to the park, it's all about quantity and squeezing in as many rides as possible.  The most rides I've ever gotten in a single day was 52 at SF Great America about 4-5 years ago when they still allowed double-rides with the Platinum Flash Pass.  My CP record is 40 rides with FL Plus back in 2016, and that included 10 rides each on Maverick and TTD. 

[KIEnthusiast]

https://www.wcpo.com/money/consumer/dont-waste-your-money/teen-writes-book-on-the-history-of-kings-island

Saw this on the news

this morning.

Interesting story. Can’t wait

to read it.

[coasterbill]

16 minutes ago, KIEnthusiast said:

https://www.wcpo.com/money/consumer/dont-waste-your-money/teen-writes-book-on-the-history-of-kings-island

Saw this on the news

this morning.

Interesting story. Can’t wait

to read it.

I can't

wait

either.

[tndank]

He posts a lot on King Island Central. Seems like a good kid. Mine shipped a day or two ago. Looking forward to it. 

It was supposed to be out last year but then you know. He took time to add more and is really proud of it. Good stuff. He's talked to and interviewed a bunch of people and seems to know a good amount. 

 

[coasternut]

Just bought mine on Amazon. They're saying it's a pre-order. Not due out according to them until May. That's okay, I'll wait.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

3 hours ago, coasterbill said:

I can't

wait

either.

Is this

the new

putting tons

of dots between

your words?

[JJLehto]

That's neat, gotta admire the passion. I used to kinda suppress this stuff bc idk, felt embarrassed wasn't till 4 years ago I was willing to just let people know, post travels on FB so yeah kudos to him.