Kings Island — Attraction in Mason

It's always a good time at Kings Island.

And, as an older adult, I can honestly say that there is something there for every age range. I first started attending as a "tween" in the 1970's when the park opened. I remember the 1980's when we'd gather there with friends, some of whom were employed at KI at the time and some who came from out-of-town to experience the infamous theme park "in our backyard". The '90's saw us as parents, with season passes so that we could bring our preschoolers and early school age children to Kings Island's children's section anytime we wanted. We discovered that evenings, after rainy days, were the perfect times to bring the kids, for no-wait ride lines, and to burn off energy after being cooped up inside all day. Having season passes made it easy to do short visits on the spur of the moment. The teenage years for our kids had them meeting friends and going on school outings WITHOUT parents tagging along. For my husband and I, our Kings Island visits are currently down to once or twice a year, with our employers providing "Company Day" events or fund-raising walks. Next year, as retirees, we were discussing if a season pass would be something useful again. The place is clean and safe. Plenty of space to walk. Music adds to the "festive" and happy atmosphere. We can still do some of the rides, there is entertainment everywhere, and the "dancing" water of the fountain is always pleasant to watch.

We were at a "Company Day" event recently, so there were no long lines for anything. Our costs for entry and food/drinks were covered. Because of the "special-ness" of our recent visit I can't address wait times or costs. I do know that theme parks always tend to overprice such things, so plan ahead. Maybe eat before you arrive, or pack and plan for a "parking lot picnic", or save up some extra money to splurge on food inside the park. There is nothing like the experience and pictures of the happy faces consuming BLUE ICE CREAM (it's a Kings Island MUST, but the cost is more than what you'd expect to pay for a soft-serve cone outside the park). And the food choices inside the park are awesome. Just remember to budget for more than you expect.

And you can't forget souvenirs!!! International Street is full of shops that have something for every visitor. Even as older adults we found stuff that we wanted: T-shirts remembering the early days; books showing the park through the years; 3D models of early and retired roller coasters; 50 year anniversary items; and Peanuts character clothing.

The excitement that we felt in the 1970's when we first neared the entrance and could see the Eiffel Tower looming on the other side of the gate, can still be experienced as a senior. It's not so much for the upcoming excitement of hitting the rides, but more from the heartfelt memories that still lie within our minds and our hearts. They come to the surface once we pass through those turn-styles, when the sights, sounds, and smells of childhood once again surround us.

Kings Island creates memories in more ways...

This is my favorite amusement park, far more than my home park Cedar Point. We live about three hours away and it is worth the drive every time, whether we go for the spring/summer season, Halloween Haunt, or even Winterfest. I love almost every coaster here, and even the ones I don’t are more so due to personal choice. I think all of them are worth experiencing at least once, at least to get the credit. A handful of coasters even have decent theming, especially for a Cedar Fair park! The indoor line for Flight of Fear is absolutely incredible. The Beast remains my all time favorite roller coaster since I first rode it in 2014, and night rides on it are an absolute MUST, although you frankly can’t go wrong with night rides on any of the outdoor coasters. With an extensive kids area, there’s really something here for everyone. Even if you aren’t big on coasters, I think there still is a lot to do with tons of flat rides, shows, and other entertainment. I honestly love the indoor kids dark ride Boo Blasters, it’s a great way to take a break and get some AC if it’s a hot day. Plus, the park is gorgeous, lots of green and surrounded by trees around the perimeter. It can be nice to just walk around and take it all in sometimes. Be sure to go up in the 1/3 model of the Eiffel Tower for amazing 360 views of the whole park. Food here is pretty good! With the addition of Grain and Grill this year, they really seem to be working to provide more varied and high quality choices. My favorite place to eat is actually the Tom + Chee, I almost always go there for lunch and get a tomato balsamic grilled cheese and tomato soup! We are pass holders, so we also always opt for the season drink pass for free drinks the rest of the season. I like it better than the souvenir cups just because I didn’t like having to carry the souvenir cup all day and get a locker for it on certain rides. The history of this park is also fascinating, especially if you are a coaster enthusiast. They have made a lot of contributions to roller coaster history, like having the first forward and backward looping coaster in the US (Screamin’ Demon), the first modern suspended coaster in the world (The original Bat), the first stand up coaster in the world (King Cobra), the first coaster in the world with six inversions (Vortex), and of course they still have the longest wooden coaster in the world (The Beast). I love that they care about their history and work hard to preserve so many aspects of the park that opened in 1972, like the Main Street buildings, the Eiffel Tower, and The Racer. My great grandpa actually was a part of the team that helped build those in the early 70s so it really makes me happy to see them still care so much about these structures, maintaining them for future generations. Do not miss this park if you’re in the area! If you are a coaster enthusiast, make sure this is on your bucket list, especially if you come to Ohio for Cedar Point. It is well worth the price of admission and travel...

Im going to go with 3 stars for this one, which will be explained later.

The good: the park was very clean, orderly, maintained and well kept. There was no excessive clutter or trash, trees and bushes were well maintained and the fountain water was super clean. (Did not visit the water park though). All the rides, lines for the rides, and structures were well kept, and clean. There were supervisors everywhere observing attendants safety. Security was also visible all day. There is free water cups at the consession stands, though they are really really small. There was a ride, food, or beverage for everyone. Signs leading to places were plentiful and easy to find.

The bad, and the sole reason for the lower rating. KI is grossly out of touch with the average family, in my opinion. Starting at $35 to park. Thats $35 just to show up, and spend money. My discounted tickets were still $75 each. For the family of 4 i was now in it $335, and still not inside the park.

While all the rides were included, the games were not, which is to be expected, and not a factor of my 3 star review. Thankfully on our day, the lines werent that bad. But when it came time to eat, $20 for a chicken sandwich, $20 for a few small chicken tenders, $20 for 2 slice of pizza…. Then if you did not bring your own bottle a drink on top of that! We ended up buying the drink and food pass, and a food pass, totalling $90. This allowed us 1 free drink every 15 minutes, and 1 entree every 90, which being here all day was a “deal” so we achieved 4 slices of pizza. 1 5 piece chicken tender and 1 chicken sandwich for $90. Dont get me wrong, it was “good” but it wasnt $20 good. I understand that KI is here to make money, and its expensive to run a park. All in all for our family of 4 it was just shy of $450 for the day. I feel better prices food options, and free parking would have helped out a long way and perhaps gotten another star.

And atlast, standing inline. Waiting for your turn, other people get to essentially cut you in line because they paid for the fast pass. While our lines werent super crazy, there was a time we saw someone go around the fast pass line atleast twice before we rode. But thats even more money out the pocket if you want it.

Some if the park closed at 6, another factor for the lower rating, was that the spooky stuff was not included after dropping over $400. And if you wanted the “no boo necklace” to not get jump scared if in the spooky area… thats gonna cost you $20… to not get scared.

Dont get me wrong, we had fun. We came for a birthday party, but had i known ahead of time it would be almost a weeks pay, i would not have came.

But if you got the money, definately...