pki, the carnival side show, and son of beast.

I arrived at pki at ten o'clock in the morning on may 30th. I hadn't been to the park in six years. The sole reason i went was to ride son of beast. I called the 800 number early in the morning it said the following "Great news as of may 27 weather permiting son of beast is now open!" The funny thing is that the little yellow piece of paper that the atendee handed me with the map listed every ride except son of beast! So pki KNEW THE RIDE WAS NOT OPENING yet did not change their message!

Angered I entered the park, and after i spoted face off I stopped thinking about the lie I was told in order to get me to the park, and got in line for face off which i hadn't rode yet. I am in a short line that is maybe twenty minutes long when suddenly everyone in line starts walking back towards me. FACE OFF HAD BEEN CLOSED. Ok i got in line for drop zone rode it and loved it. As I came out of the walkback i looked to my left, and noticed no trains on the king cobra. THE KING COBRA HAD BEEN CLOSED. I waited for some friends still in line for drop zone.

While waiting to watch drop zone go up it didn't move. My friends were made to leave line because DROP ZONE HAD BEEN CLOSED! I can not begin to discribe my utter disapointment, and frustration with the park at this point. Because of FOUR MAJOR RIDES being temporarily closed we tried to ride the beast. The line reached back past the pizza barn, so we went and rode outer limits.

Here is where my true hatred of the park begins. At two o' clock we notice a train going up on the son of beast. We run for the line the line was gigantic, maybe an hour and a half, no big deal. We watched the train go up( Boy is that chain lift loud!!) After about a minute we expected to see a second train make its way up the hill. I doesn't come because THE SON OF BEAST WAS ONLY RUNNING ONE TRAIN. We counted the time between the station and load up. ONLY THIRTY SIX RIDERS EVERY FIVE MINUTES!! To add to insult they kept猀琀漀瀀瀀椀渀最 琀漀 洀愀欀攀 愀搀樀甀猀琀洀攀渀琀猀⸀㰀戀爀㸀਀㰀戀爀㸀਀䴀䔀一 䤀一 䠀䄀刀䐀 䠀䄀吀匀 圀䔀刀䔀 刀唀一一䤀一䜀 䄀刀伀唀一䐀 䔀嘀䔀刀夀圀䠀䔀刀䔀Ⰰ 䄀一䐀 吀䔀匀吀 䐀唀䴀䴀䤀䔀匀 圀䔀刀䔀 匀吀䤀䰀䰀 䰀伀䄀䐀䔀䐀 䤀一吀伀 吀䠀䔀 吀圀伀 一伀一 刀唀一一䤀一䜀 吀刀䄀䤀一匀℀℀℀ 䄀昀琀攀爀 琀栀爀攀攀 猀琀漀瀀猀 昀漀爀 ∀愀搀樀甀猀琀洀攀渀琀猀∀ 眀攀 昀椀渀愀氀氀礀 最漀琀 漀渀 琀栀攀 爀椀搀攀 吀䠀刀䔀䔀 䄀一䐀 䄀 䠀䄀䰀䘀 䠀伀唀刀匀 䰀䄀吀䔀刀℀℀℀ 吀栀椀猀 氀攀瘀攀氀 漀昀 椀渀挀漀洀瀀攀琀攀渀挀攀 猀栀漀甀氀搀 渀漀琀 挀漀猀琀 洀礀 昀爀椀攀渀搀猀 愀渀搀 䤀 㐀　 搀漀氀氀愀爀猀⸀ 䤀 最漀 琀漀 愀洀甀猀攀洀攀渀琀 瀀愀爀欀猀 琀漀 栀愀瘀攀 昀甀渀 渀漀琀 琀漀 戀攀 氀椀攀搀 琀漀 愀渀最攀爀攀搀Ⰰ 愀渀搀 搀椀猀愀瀀漀椀渀琀攀搀⸀ 㰀戀爀㸀਀倀欀椀 欀渀攀眀 琀栀攀 猀漀渀 漀昀 戀攀愀猀琀 眀愀猀 渀漀琀 最漀椀渀最 琀漀 漀瀀攀渀 甀渀琀椀氀 ㄀㨀　　⸀ 礀攀琀 琀栀攀椀爀 栀漀琀氀椀渀攀 挀栀攀攀爀昀甀氀氀礀 琀漀氀搀 洀攀 椀琀 眀愀猀 爀甀渀渀椀渀最 眀攀氀氀⸀ 吀栀攀 栀漀琀氀椀渀攀 洀攀猀猀愀最攀 猀栀漀甀氀搀 漀昀 猀愀椀搀 ∀猀漀渀 漀昀 戀攀愀猀琀 洀愀礀戀攀 漀瀀攀渀 昀漀爀 愀 猀栀漀爀琀 爀甀渀 琀漀搀愀礀Ⰰ 愀渀搀 攀砀瀀攀挀琀 洀漀猀琀 爀椀搀攀猀 琀漀 猀栀甀琀 搀漀眀渀 愀渀搀 爀攀漀瀀攀渀 甀渀攀砀瀀攀挀琀攀搀氀礀Ⰰ 琀栀愀渀欀礀漀甀 昀漀爀 洀漀渀攀礀㬀 猀漀爀爀礀 昀漀爀 漀甀爀 椀渀挀漀洀瀀攀琀攀渀挀攀⸀∀㰀戀爀㸀਀䤀 圀䤀䰀䰀 一伀吀 圀䄀匀吀䔀 䄀一伀吀䠀䔀刀 䐀䤀䴀䔀 䄀吀 吀䠀䤀匀 倀䄀刀䬀℀℀℀

There are always reasons that things happen, be it understaffing, or malfunctions. Alot of those things are avoidable, but alot of them aren't. You can't fault the park for the unavoidables, but if you were mad (and rightly so), you're always able to walk to Guest Relations and tell them how you feel, and they will give you either your money back or comp tickets, depending upon how long you had been at the park that day. I've had the same thing happen at several parks including SFMM, IOA, PKI, and CP. All of them were willing to compensate. Just a thought for the future when it happens again. (And it will.) *** This post was edited by Coaster on 6/2/2000. ***

PKI knew that they should not have been running son of beast. The fact that it did not open it was due to the fact that the park did not give enough test time to the ride before they rushed to open it. running the ride with one train is irresponsible, especially when pki stopped son of beast FOUR TIMES for fifteen minutes or more!
Let me tell you that watching a man in a hard hat with a mallet walk up and look at a piece of track every 10 minutes doesn't exactly instill confidence!
I have been to cedar point 12 times. NEVER has there been five major rides shut down at the same time. In fact only once did I experience any problems there. Oh and it seems a trend at pki to build new atractions then charge people to ride.
Here's an idea instead of tearing down a ride that people like, and putting a pay copter in its place, how about not reeming parton's once they get in the park.

PKI will soon change their name to SOB, since that's what most people are saying about this park. Please, please don't make excuses for them. EVERY trip report that I have read has had a negative tone to it with many major rides malfunctioning and SOB acting like an immature child that he is. I really feel sorry for the people in the Cincy area. PKI continues to take the money and run leaving patrons unhappy for their efforts. The last thing that anyone should do is make excuses when someone is venting their displeasure for their day. A day that most people value...where PKI is concerned...is not that 'valuable' right now. Insane rider, you get props for the day for letting us know how you feel and showing us the true carnival side show...


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There's nothing like a woodie...

No excuses were made. As a matter of fact, I said that he was right to be upset. I said that some things were unavoidable. Last time I checked, that was true. I also said that alot of thing are avoidable. That also is true.

SOB has become a problem, no doubt about it. Close it down for another month, people yell. Close it down for short periods of the day, people yell. And that's not an excuse, just a fact.

I've been to almost every park in the country. Almost every park is putting in "Pay-to-rides." I hate it. (Just a side response.)

When you talk about "Pay-to-rides" are you referring to the Sky Coasters? If so, it makes sense that people are charged because of the limited amount of time and the demand.
If you're talking about parks charging patrons to ride all of their rides, I'd like to know which ones do that.
BTW, I'm not in any way condoning PKI's way of handling the SOB situation.

Ah, vindication. At least someone else is reporting some of the problems. About the only thing he didn't report is some of the behind-the-scenes duplicity that seems to surround Sonny, especially when he runs into problems.

Someone needs to clean up management's act, and in a hurry. But I suspect that will not happen until that all important number -- total attendance -- starts to drop significantly. And after 15 years of almost continuous mismanagement, that hasn't yet happened.

People have short memories, too. One ride on Sonny, and, well, all those bad feelings tend to simply float away, and the mistreatment forgotten...judging from some of the flames I received after I reported on my 8-hour wait of fultility on Sunday.