KI Trip May 28th-29th

So, my little family made a trek to KI over the Memorial Day holiday weekend. We bought Fast Lane passes for Saturday only. Crowds were only moderate on both days. The FL passes were still completely worth the money. We rode the new Mystic Timbers 3 times on Saturday and twice on Sunday. This coaster surprised me in how smooth it is. I also love the fact that once over the lift hill, MT does not let up the entire ride. As far as what is in the shed, I was not disappointed at all. The theming is exceptional and it was pretty much exactly as I expected. The coaster cars themed as trucks were really cool as well. My son, who is 8, absolutely loved it, as did we all. I enjoy these family trips as we like to take in rides other than coasters. My girlfriend had not been in 25 years, and she loved all of it as well. Bought a drink cup on the second day, which I had wished I had done the first day. These are well worth the money and we all 3 shared one cup. We got in several rides on both days. The weather forecast had been calling for some rain on Saturday and 90% chance of Thunderstorms on Sunday. Did not get any rain of any kind either day.

This is the 2nd year that my son has been able to ride a lot of the major coasters. He was in fact brave enough to ride Adventure Express, The Racer, The Beast, Woodstock Express by himself this year. When we had him measured at the front gate, he looked to be about an inch shy of the 52" mark, which he is excited about. He also did the Guessing Game and won himself a frog, which he was terribly pleased with.

We stayed at the Super 8 in Mason and same as last year, they have extremely nice rooms and great service. We checked in around 3:30, after lunch at LaRosa's in Rivertown. That place is always a must for us. When we left the park at 10, we went back to our room and took showers. Wasn't long before my son fell asleep. I was able to stay up not much longer than him haha.

The crowd on Sunday morning was so light, we had been on 15 rides between 10a-1p. Then the crowd picked up. We bought 3 on-ride photos and a front gate photo as well. Now I see why CF has shifted their focus to families. We easily spent $1,000 in two days there. We also all bought a t-shirt and I got the preferred parking on-line for $25 each day. That is something that I will pay for every time. Well worth not walking a country mile to the car when you need a break.

We also got in night time rides on MT and Beast. We all agreed Beast is still #1 night ride. MT is cool, but Beast still has that seclusion that MT seems to lack. Not a knock on MT at all. Also introduced my kid to a back seat ride on Vortex. He loved being whipped through the course and we all experienced air time on the first drop. Never remember getting air time on Vortex. Also, of all our rides on The Racer, I am of the mindset that this coaster should never be replaced. I know we experienced air time at least 6 times on it. Also got a little bit of air time on The Beast on the drop down into the valley. It's so funny to listen to my son explaining nuances of these rides to my girlfriend. He knows a lot about them for an 8 year old. My girl thoroughly enjoyed several rides which were new to her. She loved BL:SC. That launch always seems to make me gray out until the top of the spiral. Still a great coaster.

All in all, we had a great time at KI and it was probably the best time I have had. Probably has something to do with enjoying some family time together.

Thats one thing I always love about Kings Island, its a park that seems to create the most memories for me and my family.

I live in Michigan and Cedar Point is supposed to be my "home" park but I just dont seem to have as many memories there then at K.I. Thank you for the report!!