Has anybody had the same issues at Kings Island?

Hello all, I've been a fan of the site for years but have never posted, I am aware this is a Cedar Point site, but I wanted to share some tidbits from my first trip to Kings Island ever this past weekend. My wife and I arrived on Friday afternoon and the park wasn't horribly crowded, Banshee was walk on, however when I got up there they were trying to still tell me where to sit despite nobody being in line. I can understand if the line is long as cp has done this multiple times but never when there is no line. The staff was rude when I asked to sit in the back row, groaned and said "whatever". A ride op on the Back lot stunt coaster was asleep in the op booth. They don't allow the station to fill up more than 1 row at a time and, at the same time, allow 2 to 3 regular line guests in to the 8 to 10 fast pass guests so therefore what should be a 20 min wait turned into an hour or longer. The parent swap policy is a joke there as well as I kept getting rolled eyes everytime I handed it to an op. All the restrooms were horrible cleanliness wise and smelled like a Porta John, not to mention some of the over the shoulder restraints smelled like old sweat. Just some of the issues I had over a two day visit and it left a bad taste in my mouth. I've never had these issues at Cedar Point and I've been multiple times a year since 1983. Maybe CP sets the bar so high that no other park compares but I figured with KI being a Cedar Fair park, the customer service, park relations, cleanliness, etc... would be somewhat similar. Is this the norm at KI or just a bad experience?

Neither.

None of those are consistent with any of my many visits to Kings Island.

Just the opposite. I visited the two parks within 2 weeks, and KI employees put CP to shame. I didn't run across one rude employee at KI all day.

Well in my opinion, that would translate to a bad experience. It just made me realize again why CP is the best on the planet in every category.

Here's my review from our visit last year, we really enjoyed KI: http://pointbuzz.com/Forums/Thread/29750.aspx

CPUntilDeath said:
...Banshee was walk on, however when I got up there they were trying to still tell me where to sit despite nobody being in line.

Employees following the policies they've been given aren't being rude. They're doing their jobs.

The staff was rude when I asked to sit in the back row, groaned and said "whatever".

Perhaps you found an especially poor employee. My first visit to Kings Island was in 1981, and in the 33 years since, I've never encountered any employee with such an attitude.

A ride op on the Back lot stunt coaster was asleep in the op booth.

Dubious, since a sleeping employee wouldn't be able to dispatch the train that you rode on.

They don't allow the station to fill up more than 1 row at a time and, at the same time, allow 2 to 3 regular line guests in to the 8 to 10 fast pass guests so therefore what should be a 20 min wait turned into an hour or longer.

So you didn't buy Fast Lane. You suffered the consequences of your choice.

The parent swap policy is a joke there as well as I kept getting rolled eyes everytime I handed it to an op.

So you got "rolled eyes". Did you not get to use the parent swap policy? What, exactly, makes it a "joke"?

All the restrooms were horrible cleanliness wise and smelled like a Porta John...

They smelled like "a" Porta John? Which particular Porta John are you referring to? Joking aside, in all my visits since 1981, I've never encountered a foul smelling rest room.

...not to mention some of the over the shoulder restraints smelled like old sweat.

Only some of the OTR smelled like old sweat? Which restraints? Which coasters?

There were two ride ops in the control booth, one of which had their head down on the table the whole time I could see her which was about 25 mins. The rides I experienced cleanliness issues on were vortex and invertego. I was almost rejected to use my parent swap by one employee because I had already rode that ride earlier in the day until another op came by and said I could. I've never been told there was a limit to the parent swap and they sure don't implement that at CP. I've been a platinum pass holder since they have offered it so I don't believe I should need a fast pass, however is it fair to allow 90% fast pass guests to 10% regular guests through? I don't think so, just a way to boost sales IMO. As for the bathrooms, maybe just a bad day, however it would be nice if they had the signs in the restrooms to text if they weren't clean. Don't get me wrong, I loved the park atmosphere and the coasters are unique, I just feel CP beats them in every category.

I had my first trip to kings island a couple of weeks ago and experienced almost none of those issues. The ride ops were all very helpful and funny, and they were much much easier to understand than most cedar point ops. Even the security at kings island also didn't seem to be really cocky like i see all the CP police being. They've literally ran into me before.

The only thing I experienced were them only letting enough people to get on the next train into the station, which I preferred rather to the usual chaos. They did tell me where to go but if I wanted to sit somewhere else they weren't rude at all.

CPUntilDeath said:
I've been a platinum pass holder since they have offered it so I don't believe I should need a fast pass, however is it fair to allow 90% fast pass guests to 10% regular guests through? I don't think so, just a way to boost sales IMO.

Being a Platinum pass holder allows you entry into the parks, in no way, shape, or form has it ever granted anything about how long wait times are for rides.

Yes, it is fair that they allow those who purchased Fast Lane passes to go ahead of those who did not. That is the benefit of purchasing the Fast Lane. You had the same opportunity to purchase a Fast Lane just like everyone who actually bought one.

I have stood in numerous lines and watched those with Fast Lane walk right by me... I just remind myself that I choose not to buy one and when they walk past that is the consequence of my choice.

Yes, Fast Lane is indeed a way to boost sales, and to me Cedar Fair boosting sales and making more money is a very good thing. The more money they make, the more rides we get, the more money they make the more they invest in other non-ride related upgrades to their parks. It is really a win-win situation if you look at it.

Last time I was at KI and rode the Banshee, I told the ride op we wanted the front. It was no problem with him.

The whole Fast Lane thing never bothered me. I've never bought it, and don't intend to. One thing I like about it is that the lines are merged at some point before and controlled by an employee (most of the time). It drives me nuts at Kennywood with their VIP system where they enter through the exit and get to pick were ever they want to sit. So it takes for ever if you are waiting for the front of the Phantom's Revenge, because naturally that's what everybody wants. I much prefer the Fast Lane way. It's more equitable once in the station.

CPUntilDeath said:
however is it fair to allow 90% fast pass guests to 10% regular guests through?

I've never witnessed that. Although I don't ride during the busiest time of day (usually).

I've never been to KI, but I have been to Canada's Wonderland. I know it is their policy to ask people to sit where they feel necessary to increase efficiency of the line. There are actually signs that say "preferred seating not guaranteed." This is probably the case at KI.

Like some other comments, I've never had issues at KI--during my past trips (during the weekend) I've noticed how friendly the employees were rather than rude. Maybe it was just an off day?

I would ask that you reconsider going again--I know it wasn't too enjoyable a trip, but KI is a really nice park and I've had trips where I thought it "beat" CP in some places, but I love them both for different reasons.

I've not had those issues at KI. I have run into a few rude employees at CP this year, but I chalk those up to people hating their jobs and using their tiny bit of authority to take it out on others. If I had to work at Auntie Anne's all day, I'd hate my life too.

Some complaints have been echoed before, some not, however I will chalk it up to a bad experience in the park. People have bad days, and sometimes it shows unfortunately. They assign seats as per training and trust me I don't agree and have voiced out about it as well. For bathrooms smelling, people piss and **** all day in there, I don't expect sunshine, happiness, and lavender all day. Restraints, it's hot, people sweat, sorry, but it happens.

Also, I think this would be better to post on KICentral.Com btw..

1st off, Why are you smelling the restraints? Shouldn't you expect them to smell kind of sweaty? I mean Vortex gives how many rides a year in the middle of summer. I know dog poop smells bad that's why I don't put my nose in it. Only problem I ever had with nasty smells is in almost every busy line I stand in after 2pm on a hot day. I think it has to do with the thousand of people that stand in the sun all day sweating.

2nd, I don't think CPuntildeath was suggesting that his Platinum Pass would get him any closer to the front of the line. He's just suggesting that he visits the park(s) regularly enough that there is no benefit for him to get a fast lane pass when he can ride the next day and the day after that without paying for parking or the gate. I think you'll be disapointed if you think Cedar Fair is going to build more rides because of Fastlanes success. I don't see an increase in capital improvements. I see an increase in return on investment for stockholders.

redsfan said:

2nd, I don't think CPuntildeath was suggesting that his Platinum Pass would get him any closer to the front of the line. He's just suggesting that he visits the park(s) regularly enough that there is no benefit for him to get a fast lane pass when he can ride the next day and the day after that without paying for parking or the gate. I think you'll be disapointed if you think Cedar Fair is going to build more rides because of Fastlanes success. I don't see an increase in capital improvements. I see an increase in return on investment for stockholders.

If there is no benefit for him to buy a Fast Lane then why complain about those that do? If you are saying that the lines are too long and complain about the wait guess what - you could buy a Fast Lane and then not have to wait, correct?

When Cedar Fair makes more money and therefore underlying profit goes up shareholders will indeed see an increase in their investment. At the same time Cedar Fair will also have more cash flow to invest in their parks. Cedar Fair has been making some nice profits, and they have also been investing heavily in their parks. This is why I do not mind spending my money at Cedar Fair parks, I feel that they have found a nice balance at this time between return on investment and also investing for a better experience for their guests. To say that Fast Lane has not contributed to their bottom line would be silly.

They have been adding capital improvements into their parks every year since before I was born. FastLane has only been around for 3 years. They built MF and TTD without FastLane in place. I'm just saying that now with FastLane if you think they'll build a new coaster more frequently you'll be disappointed. They have 1.6 billion dollars of debt and stockholders to satisfy.

OK, we are way off what the OP originally said which was that Fast Lane is a just a way to "boost sales" and indeed it is - which I said is a good thing, for a number of reasons.

Investing in the parks does not have to be rides, it can be a Midway upgrade, some fresh paint, some LED ligthing etc...

You must also be aware that Cedar Fair wants to increase per capita spending, not necessarily boosting attendance every year but rather making the people that do show up spend more at the park. Fast Lane is a way to achieve that goal, is it not?

CPUntilDeath said: not to mention some of the over the shoulder restraints smelled like old sweat. Just some of the issues I had over a two day visit and it left a bad taste in my mouth.

Protip: Never lick the restraints on any ride.

The thing I love about Kings Island is that they ask if you have a season/platinum pass at every food location. It's really awesome that they do that.