PKI 5/21 and 6/7 - Pass holder and not happy.

Everyone who claims that PKI is a grand place to visit must spend their time mostly at county fairs!
I will recount in short order my past to visits to the park.
June, 1999..
Entered the park at 10:00 am drop zone new to the park was CLOSED. I rode face off shortly after it CLOSED! I waited an hour to get to the front of the line for Outer Limits only to have it closed right before I boarded! I rode the beast which stopped for five minutes on the second chain lift!
THE FOOD WAS APPALING!! THe Pizza Barn used to have good food. Sure it was four dollars a slice, but it was the best pizza I ever had period. Now the pizza is only 2.00 dollars a slice but tastes like what it is cheap flavorless microwave pizza!
Anyway on with the show.
MAY 31,2000
Early in the morning I called the park to make sure The Son Of Beast was in working order. This is the exact message I was given "Great news as of May 27 the son of beast will be open weather permiting." I arrived there at 10:00 am the SOn Of Beast was closed! That's right the park lied to get my precious money! During the first two hours FIVE MAJOR RIDES HAD CLOSED. Drop Zone, King Cobra, Face/Off, THe Backward racer, and outer limits. Even when all the rides were open they would sparadically open and close ALL DAY LONG!!
The son of beast did open at 1:00 pm with only one train. This wasn't nearly as bad as when they would stop it send, a truck full of hard hats up the track with rubber mallets then restart the line! The water dummies were still in the other trains!! What were we riders or test subjects. Four times they stopped the line for "Adjustments"! Men in hard hats were all over the damn ride!
THe thing I hate the most about PKI is the...
UNABASHED MARKETING EXTRAVEGANZA!
IT's not enough to get you in the park but now the y hassle you to buy, or rent things as soon as you enter the gate! It's like telemarketing withthe actual annoying idiot right there to provide itim搀愀琀椀漀渀℀ 䤀 眀攀渀琀 琀漀 䬀椀渀最✀猀 䤀猀氀愀渀搀 愀猀 挀栀椀氀搀 愀渀搀 氀攀琀 洀攀 琀攀氀氀 礀漀甀 琀栀愀琀 洀礀 瀀愀爀攀渀琀猀 眀攀爀攀 渀攀瘀攀爀 愀猀猀甀氀琀攀搀 戀礀 琀眀漀 爀愀搀椀漀 猀愀氀攀猀洀愀渀Ⰰ 瀀椀挀琀甀爀攀 琀愀欀椀渀最 氀攀攀挀栀攀猀Ⰰ 瀀愀礀 瀀攀爀 爀椀搀攀 猀椀洀甀愀氀漀爀猀Ⰰ 瀀愀礀 瀀攀爀 爀椀搀攀 栀攀氀椀挀漀瀀攀爀猀Ⰰ 瀀愀礀 猀欀礀挀漀愀猀琀攀爀猀Ⰰ 漀爀 瀀愀礀 爀漀挀欀 挀氀椀洀戀椀渀最 眀愀氀氀猀⸀ ␀㐀　⸀　　✀猀 愀渀搀 瀀愀爀欀 昀漀漀搀 椀猀 渀漀琀 攀渀漀甀最栀 昀漀爀 琀栀攀洀⸀ 圀栀攀渀 䤀 最漀 琀漀 愀 瀀愀爀欀 䤀 最漀 琀漀 最攀琀 愀眀愀礀 昀爀漀洀 猀甀挀栀 琀栀椀渀最猀 愀猀 琀攀氀攀洀愀爀欀攀琀猀Ⰰ 戀甀琀 琀栀攀 戀愀爀琀攀爀椀渀最 椀渀 琀栀椀猀 瀀愀爀欀 椀猀 眀漀爀猀攀 琀栀愀渀 愀渀礀 琀攀氀攀洀愀爀欀攀琀椀渀最 挀愀氀氀 䤀 栀愀瘀攀 爀攀挀椀攀瘀攀搀⸀㰀戀爀㸀਀䤀昀 䤀 最漀 琀漀 倀䬀䤀 愀最愀椀渀 琀栀攀 昀椀爀猀琀 瀀愀爀欀 眀攀愀猀攀氀 眀栀漀 猀琀攀瀀猀 甀瀀 琀漀 洀攀 猀愀礀椀渀最 ∀䤀✀瘀攀 最漀琀 愀 最爀攀愀琀 漀昀昀攀爀 昀漀爀 礀漀甀 琀漀搀愀礀℀∀ 圀椀氀氀 氀椀欀攀氀礀 爀攀挀椀攀瘀攀 攀氀攀挀琀爀椀挀愀氀 琀愀瀀攀 愀挀爀漀猀猀 琀栀攀 洀漀甀琀栀℀℀㰀戀爀㸀਀㰀戀爀㸀਀䘀䤀渀愀氀氀礀 䤀✀搀 氀椀欀攀 琀漀 猀愀礀 琀栀椀猀 愀戀漀甀琀 琀栀攀 挀甀爀爀攀渀琀 洀愀渀愀最攀洀攀渀琀 愀琀 倀䬀䤀⸀ 䰀攀愀爀渀 琀漀 琀爀攀愀琀 礀漀甀爀 倀䄀夀䤀一䜀 最甀攀猀琀猀 愀猀 瀀攀漀瀀氀攀 渀漀琀 搀漀氀氀愀爀  猀椀最渀猀℀

Dealing with Photo Droids:

Tyler's post brought me a chuckle, as well as some vailidation for my frustrations with PKI. I thought I'd share my trick for the Photo Droids - it will work better if more people use it:

DROID: HI FOLKS!!!! WHAT I NEED YOU TO DO IS ALL GROUP TOGETHER FOR A PICTURE, OK !!!!!!!

ME: No photos. It is forbidden to my people.

This usually stops them. It is important to be calm and polite, but firm. Only once have I had to go further:

ME: No photos. It is forbidden to my people.

DRIOD (scornfully):Your "people"?

ME (fixing Droid with steely glare of the True Believer): Yes. We will not be lead astray.

I think I broke him.

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What Trapper Dan really said was, "Be Careful! There are Indians around here!" Like the one over there, behind the plastic rock.

I will cross PKI from my list of places to go. No need to suffer ride closures. I have enough with S:ROS at SFA. Why go to another park with the same problem

I have said before that I didn't like PKI and wouldn't go if I got a free day off of work and driven down in a limosine with free admission.

Well I went back on my word and attended the UltimateRollercoaster event on June 3rd for $15. The only good part of the day was the ERT on the Beast from 11:30 - 12:30 while the park was closed. 7 rides on the Beast in 1 hour in the dark seemed to overcome all of the other frustrations I experienced during the day. And getting free tickets to return since SOB was not running changed my attitude too. I'm still glad it isn't my home park.

I just have to say one thing. Way back about 5 years ago, before I ventured to other park's besides Cedar Point, my freind told me, you know, you really don't need to go anywhere else. Cedar Point is the best! I didn't believe him, but here I am, about 7 parks later, and I have to say, Cedar Point has the best collection of rides and attractions anywhere, not to mention the beautiful setting. Every other park just seems empty.

Come on CPcyclone, you cant be that closed minded. Yes, I agree some parks just dont satisfy the majority but alot of parks have different things that people can enjoy. CP doesnt have every element of coasters so its good to venture to other parks to experience something different.

With the Son of Beast heres what they should do. On their website, on TV, and on radio, and in front of the ride say

"The Son Of Beast Will Not Operate Until The 2001 Season. We Are sorry for the delay"

Do not copy SFMM and Superman or SFO and Serial Thriller. Close the ride, DO NOT reopen it, retrack it, get the three train dispatch down, and just save it for next year.

From a guest perspective no, but Volcano didn't open at PKD until August and packed the park until the end of the season. They didn't add that extra day just to make us happy

Good thing I'm going to SFGAm today and not PKI!

Viking Fury is not a Huss Pirat, it is an INTAMIN swinging ship!

Ticket to Ride rules!

1st off, Pat, nice Jedi mind trick. Gotta remember that one for future photo droid persecutions.

2nd - I believe this whole thing stems from the distance you live from the park. Really. A lot of people who live in the Cincy/Dayton area have had to watch the deterioration of a once great FAMILY park whose only purpose was to make sure you had a great day out. Now-a-days, we look at PKI like a farmer looks at a strip mall going up next to his farm. For the occasional visitor to PKI it doesn't look that bad. But really, it's been in steady decline ever since Paramount took over. I think Paramount could turn it around a bit with some additions and subtractions, but, as long as there is a 'corporate mentality' surrounding a park, it will always be that way.

I think, if PKI were to treat it's employees like they used to prior to the takeover, it'd be a happier place. (I work there for 2 summers 87 & 88 and had a great time.) I think if they would add some new flat rides around the park and reduced the pay to play attractions, it'd be a happier place. I really don't care if SOB is so rough to me, I usually only get one ride while I'm there anyway (and besides, it's the only coaster I know of that treats larger people better, i.e. me). But, if I get off of SOB, I want to ride something with a faster line, something PKI doesn't have. With more flat rides, and hold yer ears kids "A FREAKIN' PROVEN COASTER WITH HIGH CAPACITY - B AND FRICKIN M - HYPER, INVERTED, OR FLOORLESS IN THE KINGS MILLS FLUME AREA TO DIVERT TRAFFIC TO THAT SECTION OF THE PARK" I think they would head in the right direction. But, alas, for now that won't happen. Not as long as the P remains in PKI.

I moved to Huntington, West Virginia, after I graduated from law school in 1985. PKI (ok, then it was just KI) became my home park (in disatnce, if not memory -- how could anything compare with Kennywood?). I've been there every summer up until last year, when I moved here to Southern California.
I always thoroughly enjoyed KI until it became PKI. First thing to go was the merchandising. If you don't want to buy a t-shirt or a movie vieo (or generic kids' stuff), don't plan on spending much there. I have several collections of amusement park souvenirs -tacky to be sure, but fun. Many are lacking an item from PKI because they don't buy enough souvenir items.
Second thing that ticks me off is the addition of pay rides. Other pay activities -- rock wall, laser tag, even the Skyscreamer -- don't bother me as much. But to pay an outrageous entrance fee and then be expected to pay for a simulator ride really sucks. (Kentucky Kingdom was doing that the last time I was there. Anyone know if they still are?)
Will be visiting PKI in August. I hope to be able to say they were listening . . .
(By the way, I worked at CP in 1982. A bunch of us operators went to KI to compare -- and couldn't believe the lackadaisical ride operators there. In retrospect, I think it was less that the KI ride ops weren't trained, and more that KI didn't search out operators with the mental attitude of "ride nazis," actively seeking out rule infractions for the thrill of pointing them out.)

I rode Son of Beast 1st car 2nd row and it was smooth as glass so enjoyable cant say much about it except its the best wood out there! But i rode it again 2nd car 1st row and it was brutal nothing more than WHIPLASH we went to first aid and the manager showed up and we got free dinner!But Son of Beast is the best but depends where you sit try sitting 1st car 2nd row it will be SMOOTH its smoother than King Cobra, Vortex, Beast put together.

Did you just show up at first aid to get the free dinner or were you actually hurt?