Kentucky Kingdom (SFKK, KK) Discussion Thread

[Nrthwnd]

^^ I would prefer riding the cello, myself.

[prozach626]

KK has a pretty chill water park, too. I like how it's kind of intertwined with the park.

[bert425]

32 minutes ago, prozach626 said:

KK has a pretty chill water park, too. I like how it's kind of intertwined with the park.

Opens Friday, so really only got to look at it.   Couldn't even cut thru it, so we had to walk around the perimeter.

the Chute the Chutes (looked like fun) and the bizzare "abandoned meat packing plant" looking Rapids weren't open until Friday as well.

[DBru]

I say stick with your original plan. Gaining (as opposed to losing) that extra hour driving from KK to Holiday World is crucial.

If you're just interested in riding the coasters at HW, midday is actually the best time to arrive. Crowds will likely be high on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, but most of those crowds will be absorbed by the (giant) waterpark at that time of day.

[mikeykaise]

16 hours ago, DBru said:

I say stick with your original plan. Gaining (as opposed to losing) that extra hour driving from KK to Holiday World is crucial.

If you're just interested in riding the coasters at HW, midday is actually the best time to arrive. Crowds will likely be high on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, but most of those crowds will be absorbed by the (giant) waterpark at that time of day.

yes, if you're going to HW just for the coasters the best thing to do is stick to flats until the water park opens because when it does the crowds disappear from the dry side and waits for the 4 awesome coasters are best up until it closes then the lines will go back up.

[thrillseeker4552]

Thanks for the advice. I think I have decided that I will do Kentucky Kingdom at opening until around lunchtime, then head over to Holiday World for the rest of the day. Luckily the weather on Sunday looks clear, sunny, and hot - so I'm hoping the Splashin' Safari absorbs a lot of the crowds and arriving midday isn't too much of a problem for the dry coasters.

Since this is the KK thread, I feel I should ask. What is the best order to attack the coasters at opening? Lightning Run first or would it be beneficial to hit T3 and Kentucky Flyer first since they seem low capacity? Any tips would be greatly appreciated. I'm really just interested in doing Thunder Run, Kentucky Flyer, and T3 once (unless one of them blows me away) and hoping for a couple re-rides on Lightning Run and Storm Chaser all in the first couple hours of opening if possible.

[bert425]

we went DIRECTLY back to Storm Chaser on Sunday.

now, granted, the park wasn't packed - and I get the impression it often is not, but everything other than Kentucky Flyer was running just 1 train (and Lightning Run didn't even have the other train on the transfer track.. so i'd assume that will still be running 1 train).

but .. what we did was cross the street to the back end of the park, starting with Storm Chaser, then just worked our way back forward and around.

so the order we hit them:

StormChaser (x2 since we were back there)
Thunder Run
Roller Skater (worth it. . fun layout)
bypassed T3, but walked right by it
Kentucky Flyer
Lightning Run  (1 train ops, the longest line of the day, but still only ~15 minutes)

then back for Joel to ride Storm Chaser a few more times, and to grab another lap on Thunder Run.

Seriously. . Thunder Run has a lot of new wood, very noticeable, and it was SO good, that I wanted to go back again and get a ride towards the back of the train (rougher than in the front, but still no where NEAR what I had been warned about. . . I think it was my favorite coaster in the park!)


and along the route, stopping to ride the unique flats such as Flying Dutchman, Breakdance (running great program), the drop tower looked great - but didnt' do it. . looked like the one at Knoebels,  flyers, the musical carousel, the blimps, and a few other things.

have fun. . I LOVED this funked up park.

[mikeykaise]

Lines can be slow moving and sometimes long but the main thing that people go to the park for is the water park because they have closed down a lot of the pools around the city, only 4 are open and 1 is indoor:

Louisville Parks Aquatics features three outdoor pools, 30 spraygrounds and spraypads, and an indoor aquatics facility, the Mary T. Meagher Aquatic Center. 

[tndank]

Lighting Run is the worst line and slowest loading. I'd start with LR myself.

It's rare people wander all the way to Storm Chaser.  Lines are never long back there.  Same for KY Flyer. 

 

[Arthur_Seaton]

On 5/27/2022 at 5:43 AM, thrillseeker4552 said:

Thanks for the advice. I think I have decided that I will do Kentucky Kingdom at opening until around lunchtime, then head over to Holiday World for the rest of the day. Luckily the weather on Sunday looks clear, sunny, and hot - so I'm hoping the Splashin' Safari absorbs a lot of the crowds and arriving midday isn't too much of a problem for the dry coasters.

Since this is the KK thread, I feel I should ask. What is the best order to attack the coasters at opening? Lightning Run first or would it be beneficial to hit T3 and Kentucky Flyer first since they seem low capacity? Any tips would be greatly appreciated. I'm really just interested in doing Thunder Run, Kentucky Flyer, and T3 once (unless one of them blows me away) and hoping for a couple re-rides on Lightning Run and Storm Chaser all in the first couple hours of opening if possible.

I've done the KI > KK > HW plan you're proposing, only it wasn't a holiday weekend. KK and HW are totally doable on the same day under normal circumstances (especially with that extra hour), but it's a rushed day for sure. I got multiple rides on Lightning Run and Storm Chaser (I didn't particularly like either all that much — Thunder Run was cool, though), and then multiple rides on Raven, Legend, Voyage, and Thunderbird (Raven was the clear winner for me).

In my experience at KK, Lightning Run has a painfully-slow line that fills fast, even when the park's kind of quiet. I'd be inclined to rope-drop that one, just in case it becomes unrideable later. T3 is trash and kind of out of the way in the park. Unless you just have to ride it, I'd plan to skip that one. The ride itself isn't terrible, but the thigh-crushing restraints are probably the worst I've experienced.

[Arthur_Seaton]

On 5/27/2022 at 8:51 AM, bert425 said:

Seriously. . Thunder Run has a lot of new wood, very noticeable, and it was SO good, that I wanted to go back again and get a ride towards the back of the train (rougher than in the front, but still no where NEAR what I had been warned about. . . I think it was my favorite coaster in the park!)

I liked it very much as well, and preferred it to both Lightning Run and Storm Chaser.

[Arthur_Seaton]

On 5/22/2022 at 4:14 PM, thrillseeker4552 said:

I've been on a million RMCs but the Voyage has been a huge bucket list ride for me, rough or not lol. Sad to hear you guys had a rough experience there.

It's a must-ride for sure, and I rode it five times when I visited. It was brutally rough though — jackhammering through much of the second half. The first half's journey out into the woods is pretty fun, but I found it oddly forceless — just big hills with a decent sense of speed through the tunnels. It's an impressive structure and concept, even though I thought it rode poorly.

[Midgetman82]

On 5/27/2022 at 9:29 PM, tndank said:

Lighting Run is the worst line and slowest loading. I'd start with LR myself.

It's rare people wander all the way to Storm Chaser.  Lines are never long back there.  Same for KY Flyer. 

 

I second this. T3 at single-train ops is unfortunately decently slow as well, so I'd recommend looping to KY Flyer then that soon after as well.

 

On 5/22/2022 at 7:14 PM, thrillseeker4552 said:

I've been on a million RMCs but the Voyage has been a huge bucket list ride for me, rough or not lol. Sad to hear you guys had a rough experience there.

Got to do Voyage this past weekend (HWN). The odd-numbered rows (1, 3, 5, etc.) that sit in the front row of each car are more comfortable. Voyage will likely need some re-tracking over the off season again, as will Raven, but it's certainly not running at its worst. It'll be up to tolerances. I found it still very incredible, and is for sure a must-do!

[CoasterAuditor]

Hi all,

I am making my first ever KK visit Saturday next weekend it's the first park of a weeklong midwest road trip with HW, KI, CP, and Kennywood (first time to all but Cedar Point), on the way back to Richmond, VA.  Does anyone have experience with this park on Saturdays?  Is KK pretty manageable on Saturdays lines wise?  I bought a 2 day ticket to start the Sunday there the morning after and then roll out to HW but I'd like to clear as much of KK as possible to get out to HW Sunday as early as I can.  Thank you for any notes!  

[prozach626]

One day will be plenty. KK is not a two day park. Not even if you include the water park.

Get there at the opening. Ride Lightning Run a couple times. Go clockwise, finishing with Storm Chaser. It's in such an isolated part of the park I've never had anything but a station wait.

Remember that you're an adult and skip the kiddie coaster, as to not weird out parents. (me) 

Go back for whatever flats you want. When you realize it's a great park, but there's not much else you want to ride, go to the water park and enjoy a beer.

Hit the road for HW the following morning. Be prepared for headaches and whiplash on 75% of the coasters. Try to lie to yourself and pretend they were good rides.

Reride Turkey Shooters and Thunderbird as much as possible.

Eat a cafeteria quality Thanksgiving dinner and talk about how great it is.

Wait in line shirtless for an hour for the water coasters.

Think about how much better of a one-day park KK is.

Don't drink the sunscreen. 

Edit: Also, don't forget to make fun of the clientele in your TR, because apparently it's the cool thing to do. Throw in a jab about Christianity and Trump voters.

[bert425]

the Roller Skater there is great, with a lovely setting.

don't worry about being an adult riding it. . MANY adults ride it.

including the TPR folks
 

 

[teacherkim]

4 hours ago, CoasterAuditor said:

Hi all,

I am making my first ever KK visit Saturday next weekend it's the first park of a weeklong midwest road trip with HW, KI, CP, and Kennywood (first time to all but Cedar Point), on the way back to Richmond, VA.  Does anyone have experience with this park on Saturdays?  Is KK pretty manageable on Saturdays lines wise?  I bought a 2 day ticket to start the Sunday there the morning after and then roll out to HW but I'd like to clear as much of KK as possible to get out to HW Sunday as early as I can.  Thank you for any notes!  

Dont forget that HW is in the Central time zone, which will help you out Sunday morning as you will essentially eliminate your hour commute. 

If you like water parks they are both worth it, if it's not your thing then try to hit the three water coasters at HW. They are at another level and of course you'll wait shirtless, unless you want to get your shirt wet

[AmyUD06]

So as it turns out, I'll be at KK when I hit my 250th coaster.  Any suggestions for the best one at this park to bestow the honor upon?

[bert425]

hands down my favorite there was Thunder Run. . it was amazing in the front row.

but most will tell you Lightning Run, since it's the only one of it's kind on the planet.
 

 

 

 

[AmyUD06]

3 hours ago, bert425 said:

hands down my favorite there was Thunder Run. . it was amazing in the front row.

but most will tell you Lightning Run, since it's the only one of it's kind on the planet.
 

 

Thanks for the tips Bert!  I'm surprised a Dinn coaster is so well received.

What do you think of Storm Chaser?  My #150 (Steel Vengeance) and #200 (Twisted Cyclone) were both RMCs, and I was thinking of keeping that trend going.

[bert425]

I did *not* like the trains/restraints.  (they land on my thighs, and there's no place to hold on securely - other than that one "rope" handle on the one side.

So the bunny hops/ejector air hurt.    The exact same issue I had on Twisted Timbers and why I don't ride that.

 

so yeah. . just my opinion, but I didn't care for it.

however, i will say, that diving 1st drop is incredible, and if the trains/restraints were different?   I probably would have loved it.

[jarmor]

14 hours ago, Mike240SX said:

So as it turns out, I'll be at KK when I hit my 250th coaster.  Any suggestions for the best one at this park to bestow the honor upon?

Be Careful, They don't have fastlane. . . lol lol

[AmyUD06]

Just now, jarmor said:

Be Careful, They don't have fastlane. . . lol lol

Ha ha ha.  Way to completely misread that post.

[jarmor]

Didn't misread at all.  I knew exactly what you wanted to know but knowing how you are about your fast lane access lol. . . couldn't resist.

[grsupercity]

15 hours ago, Mike240SX said:

So as it turns out, I'll be at KK when I hit my 250th coaster.  Any suggestions for the best one at this park to bestow the honor upon?

Lightning run