It has been years since I have been to Kings Island (I was in junior high the last time I went). It has changed so much in the many seasons that I remembered only a handful of the attractions and the overall feel has changed A LOT which is a GREAT THING! I loved every minute of it! Maybe because the four of us were V.I.P.s for the day which allowed us to not wait in lines, unlimited drinks throughout the park, a lunch buffet, a photo taken while on a coaster, and $25 in Beagle Bucks.
I’m not certain that a large number of people know about the V.I.P tour because it seems as if most of the employees were even stymied. Thank goodness for Chase, our 9 hour tour guide who was a blast to have lead us around. One of our group soon became ill and had to sit out a bit from the big thrill rides so Chase so kindly stepped in and rode with me for a while. Who says work can’t be fun?
With the exception of one, all of the rides were amazing! So amazing that it was a toss up between the 31 year old wooden BEAST (which we rode at least 4 times IN THE FRONT and once in the middle… YUCK!) and the newer metal, smooth flying Diamondback that were my favorites. Also high up there were the Firehawk and Invertigo. I must say that I was pleased that I only caused one ride to stop. Unfortunately, it was Firehawk and C, L, Chase, and I were in our car, flat on our backs, staring up at the sky, inches from the station at the end of the ride. The Drop Tower, while confining and almost caused C and I to feel the need to bail out, was great, too.
The last time I was at the park, the Kiddie Land was devoted to the characters of Hanna-Barbera: The Smurfs, the Flintstones, Scooby-Doo, and the like. Scoobs is still there in the form of an interactive 3D ride in which you shoot monsters and compete with your ride partner. Justj beat me by 30 points. Most of the fun for the little ones (like its sister park, Cedar Point) is now devoted to Peanuts characters.
What’s a good amusement park on a hot, humid day without a good, soaking water ride? Hand down the best one Kings Island has to offer is White Water Canyon. Funny, but I do not remember the cannons that onlookers can fire at the rafts along the way. One of the female operators along the way got me on purpose and yelled that she liked my Superman tshirt. THANKS! Another curious thing…. Chase informed us that we were one of the few V.I.P. groups to even want to ride water attractions. We rode White Water Canyon 4 times. Two times in a row each time.
Another old favorite was the Racer. It used to have one blue train and one red train that raced each other along the track. One train used to go backward but eventually went forward. Must not be as popular as it once was because only one train was running. While on the Racer, I forgot to take my Superman hat off my head… Bye, Bye Man of Steel.
Another highlight was the behind the scenes tour of the Beast given by Don… who holds the record for most rides on the Racer and also named the Diamondback coaster.
After releasing our exCELLENT guide… THANK YOU CHASE! we wanted to stay until the park closed to ride the Beast at dark but Mother Nature had other ideas. Shortly after Chase left us at 7, it began to rain so it was off to use our Snoopy Bucks. I replaced my Superman cap with a Kings Island one and bought a Snoopy tshirt “I Can Do That.”
We also took in a great show “Way Too Much TV” which showcased the themes from favorite tv shows of the 50s-90s. Even the lyrics to the themes of Bewitched and I Love Lucy were sung. I got to play theme song trivia before the show began and got a Way Too Much TV button as a prize!
On the way home, I was given the opportunity to eat at a White Castle for the first time ever. It was really not as bad as I have heard some people say (I don’t know where those family members would know from because there are none in our immediate area). And I didn’t notice any of the lingering effects of the Sliders as I made my way home at 12.30AM.
Thank you Chase! Had A GREAT DAY! And thanks to C & L for another great time! I am way too spoiled with all this no line theme park fun!
I thought we were all going to have to wait a bit to post? Haha, just teasing… less I have to write now. But that was fast, can’t believe you found the time to do that – less unpacking, I guess. I have to unpack for 3 and clean the house for guests and prepare for the girls to come home and then unpack them for their week at Grandmas – whew, guess I won’t be blogging mine for awhile, good think you didn’t wait for me!
Did you know that comments are closed on your previous post?
And it’s too bad that your first White Castle experience had to be a gas station White Castle – those were honestly some of the worst I’ve ever had. You’ll have to try some fresh ones some time. Still good to have them though since it’s been awhile.
And yeah, you caused only ONE ride to stop – this time. But admit it – it was the worst place and position one could have gotten stuck IN THE WHOLE PARK!!!
Well… let’s just say if I DIDN’t do it now, I’d forget half of what I wanted to say. I tried to give my own personal take on the trip… my favorites, etc.
Comments are closed on my previous post? I’ll have to look into that.
Yeah, the spot was kind of precarious to say the least. Still it was only ONE 😉
Ok, then… how does one reopen comments for a post in which they are closed?
Heh. The post title made me think of this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oepXF2B5NK4
Sounds like a fun couple of days, and certainly cheaper than visiting Florida I bet, even with the VIP status!
I would be one of those giving a big *y-e-c-h* to White Castle, at least for their burger sliders. Their chicken sliders were good though as I recall.
VERY GOOD, Derek! That was my aim. I try to throw in little references every now and again! The VIP status was totally worth every penny!
BTW, a picture is worth a thousand words:
How to en/disable comments
Thanks, D! I just didn’t click the right category while investigating. Hailing frequencies (err… Comments) are open.