Kentucky Kingdom (SFKK, KK) Discussion Thread

[VonniWhy do I still have a donkey title???]

I'm excited to see what will be new for the park for 2019!

[caleb.stoneI Guess Donkeys Are Okay]

So I just wanted to report back today from my first experience at KK, (and my first RMC/Chance!)

A little background: being from Florida I've always been a little spoiled with theme parks. My first coaster was Dueling Dragons: Fire, and I've been blessed with the opportunities I've had being raised around such wonderful parks like Disney, USO/IoA, Busch Gardens. I was excited to try out a former Six Flags park (as I've never been to a SF either.) I had experienced Elitch Garden's in Denver which didn't leave me yearning for much from today, and with that in mind I was pleasantly surprised at todays trip! We went for a company black out date which helped a lot with the lines, and even though the weather was raining, it wasn't enough to close the rides down, but just enough to get people out of the lines for re-rides! The park was pretty much spotless, and had a lot of rides for different ages!

With the weather threatening to close the rides down I pretty much only did the two star attractions that I'd read so much about. In the span of a couple of hours I did Storm Chaser three times, and Lightning Run twice! Let me tell you what, I was expecting an amazing ride, and it exceeded those expectations on both!

Storm Chaser:
I was extremely excited to try out my first RMC and have read about people putting this ride well into their top 10's and now I really see why! That thing just did NOT let up! Start to finish I was holding on for my life. Reading reviews on this thing I thought it was going to be overhyped but it really exceeded my expectations! The ejector airtime is phenomenal, the twists and turns are just insane! I couldn't tell what side was up at certain points! Riding it in the rain added to the fun as well, if you ever get the chance I'd definitely recommend it! It's just such a wild ride! I can't wait to see what else RMC does in the future!

Lightning Run:
I knew Lightning Run got rave reviews, and people praised it, but walking up I thought it looked kind of "tame." This ride is so far from it, and I ate my words. Just like Storm Chaser, this ride just doesn't let up till you've hit the brakes! Those last 3 hills had me clutching my pearls! There was a crazy moment where I couldn't even tell where we were going. Definitely a wonderful addition to this park, and definitely in my top 10!

ADDENDUM:
The only issue I have with the ride is with the riders more than the coaster itself. I'm a big guy, and I won't lie, I had to get a little extra shove into Storm Chaser today to get it to "click." Lightning Run seems to have issues with bigger riders, and people having to do the walk of shame, slowing down load times. I'll admit though, those trains are pretty tailored to a certain size. I'm 6'2 and my belly wasn't so much the issue as my leg length/thickness was. Unfortunately it slowed the load times down quite significantly, the coaster would complete it's course and sit on the brakes for a while before the next one would move out. It's rather dubious as some of the people I saw get off were even smaller framed than I was. I was legitimately concerned I wouldn't fit for the first time on a coaster, and today was definitely a "lose weight" wake-up call.

--

Unfortunately I didn't do anything past those two coasters as it had rained (it's okay though I really was there for the two star attractions,) but we did get to try some food at the Bayou Cafe, and picked up some pretzels, and funnel cakes later in the day. Pretty average park going food, nothing to rave about. My only qualm is more or less the fact that a pizza cost 30 dollars (20 for season passholders,) and it definitely wasn't worth the price. Though I wasn't expecting much out of the food here in the first place, it just really missed the mark for my friends and I with that cost.

The park itself has a weird set-up and took me a minute to realize how to get the back half with Storm Chaser and Hurricane Bay. I wish I'd had more time there, but fortunately with the rain we were able to keep our extra tickets to come back another weekend before they close for the season at the end of September. So if anyone is interested in going, I'd love to meet up with some fellow enthusiasts and I'd be happy to get you in! Definitely a fun place, and I can't wait to discover more about it! Those two coasters definitely draw me there enough as is, but I'm super excited to check out Hurricane Bay as well!


Any who, enough text, onto the photos!

Glad you had fun! This is definitely one of those parks like Dorney and Holiday World, where the waterpark is better than the dry park. Very worth coming back just for the waterpark.

[thrillseeker4552Why do I still have a donkey title???]

Nice report. It still amazes me that Lightning Run and Storm Chaser exist in the same park. I've never been, but not many parks have as good of a one-two punch as Kentucky Kingdom. I'll get there someday!

[Diamondbacker27You're going to need a bigger Donkey]

I'm glad you had a good time! Lightning Run's dispatch times can be wonky. Sometimes we'll get trains out in under a minute and other times it'll be up to three minutes, because the restraints are so finicky.

[mdwarn01Full Fledged Donkey Enthusiast!]

The park's Twitter and Instagram story both seem to indicate that something will either be teased or announced tomorrow. Instagram story says "2019 plans? The fun begins 09/14/18 on our YouTube Channel!"

[grsupercityDon't put that donkey on the floor!]

I'm excited. This is one of my favorite parks. Im guessing water park addition this year. I would love a chance hyper in 2020

[lbeelerI wrote the book about donkeys!]

5pm EST

5pm!!

Hey, it's always 5pm somewhere.

[lbeelerI wrote the book about donkeys!]

What's in the wind???...... Not this what's in the shed BS.....

https://youtu.be/B5GOMLk3D-I