Kings Island Travel Guide
I visited Paramount’s Kings Island in June 2006, and had a very good time, with no crowds, minimal heat and humidity, and the price was discounted. June is a very good time to go to Paramount’s Kings Island, the tickets are often discounted, and there are no major crowds yet. I have gone to Paramount’s Kings Island in the past in late July or August, and had to wait over one hour or more to board the major rides. I doubt if we had to wait 5-10 minutes to board any ride in June. Also, heat and humidity in the Midwest can be crushing in July and August. I purchased the discounted tickets at Blockbuster, they were having a regional promotion for Paramount’s King’s Island, I live in Indiana. The discount was a good $15.00 off the front gate adult admission of $49.99. Tickets are also available online for $37.99 directly through the Paramount’s Kings Island official website, $34.99 if you buy a 3-day advance ticket. One other current online promotion is to get a 2 day pass for $49.99. The price of admission for kids aged 3-6 is $29.99. The admission price for Seniors aged 60+ is also $29.99. The official Paramount Kings Island website is as follows: www.pki.com. My best friend and I stayed at a Super 8 Motel in nearby Mason, Ohio for $68.00 dollars a night/single. The motel is less than 5 miles from Paramount’s King’s Island. A very good value, and very convenient for the price.
We arrived at Paramount’s Kings Island at opening time which was 10:00 AM. There was absolutely no one there! We parked right up by the gate, and basically just walked up to the cashier and paid, and we were in the park. We received a free map of the park at the gate and started off. However, the map is kind of cartoon like and not real accurate. We simply could not find some of the rides according to the map. We had to ask several times where the damn ride was! The park could be laid out better than it is. It is laid out in a circular design, and is sort of maze-like, and at 364 acres, quite large. Some rides are way off the beaten track, and way back into the adjacent woods. Paramount’s Kings Island is divided into theme areas such as International Street, Coney Island, Nickelodeon Land, etc. Many of the rides are named and themed after Paramount’s hit movies.
Once in the park we went straight to the coaster named Son of Beast. It is aptly named after it’s predecessor, The Beast. It is a wooden coaster like the classic Beast, but with a twist. It has a 118 foot high metal loop after the first 214 foot drop. It is touted as the tallest and fastest coaster in the world. The metal loop is unique, because it is integrated into a wooden coaster. Don’t miss out on this coaster even if there is a long line. Paramount’s Kings Island does have limited major coasters, only seven. Only four are truly world class. The other coasters are: The Racers, a twin wooden Coney Island style coaster with speeds up to 55 mph. The classic wooden Beast with speeds up to 78 miles per hour with several tunnels, and it is still after 25 years, the longest wooden coaster in the world at 7, 419 feet long. The Beast is a very fast and jarring ride with extreme g-forces on the turns. The Vortex is a twisting metal, six inversion, multi-looping coaster with a top speed of 55 mph that is quite fun, and surprisingly very smooth and non-jarring. Face/Off, it is a standing coaster that basically goes up, and then down backwards while you are facing other people. The point being to see each others horrified faces. There is also a Magic Mountain sort of coaster (that is enclosed in a building). It is called The Flight of Fear. It is aptly named and quite fun. The twist on this coaster is that you go from 0-54mph in 4 seconds! You are in the dark during most of the ride, with various projections shown on the walls and ceiling. Warning – it is very fast, rough, and twisting. I felt like I needed a Chiropractor after this coaster! The last major coaster is called Top Gun. It is a hanging car type of coaster, with a top speed of about 50 mph. It was probably major at the time of it’s release many years ago, but now it is quite slow and mild in my opinion. Now, about the other rides at Paramount’s Kings Island. One ride that I was disappointed to not see was a major log ride, the log ride they have is very small and short lived. I doubt if the drop into the water is 25 feet high. However, I did get quite wet from the drop. One very exciting ride is called, ‘Lara Croft Tombraider.’ It is enclosed in an air-conditioned building. You initially walk into a very dark sort of cavern, and then you are admitted into the main chamber in small groups. All the while you don’t know what to expect. When you finally board the ride you sit down in a long row of seats. I was under the impression that the ride would be quite mild. Wrong, it was the scariest ride I have been on in years. You are in the dark most of the time, and at one point the seats turn upside down, and you are suspended for what seems like an eternity! I thought I was going to fall out of my seat, or lose my wallet! Word of advice to all men – make sure your wallet is secure! I almost lost my wallet several times because I did not have a button on my shorts pocket. The rides are jarring, and some go upside down. Your wallet will try to work its way out of your pocket.
The ride called Delirium is a 137 foot high spinning wheel ride with multi seats. It was closed the day I was there for unknown reasons. The Italian Job is an interesting ride that is worth a ride or two. It is a stunt track sort of ride. It is sort of like a coaster, it is a car on tracks. It is modeled after the movie “The Italian Job.” It takes you on a ride through sets from the movie, and with special effects going on all around you. The last truly major ride is called The Drop Zone. It is a 26 story, 315 foot high drop ride. It is the tallest in the world, and the drop speed is 61 mph. I did not go on this ride. I sat and watched the ride for quite some time, and the patrons looked genuinely horrified. The rest of the rides in the park are the standard sort of rides you would find at most any other amusement park. There is a nice little train that I would recommend to ride, to just sit and relax on for awhile. By the way, there is an adjacent waterpark called Boomerang Bay. We had no interest in this, so I cannot advise you on it. From what I saw of it, it looked quite major with many slides and whitewater rafting rides. The waterpark is included in your admission, and is about 15 acres. Lastly, be sure and go up into the Eiffel Tower, it is a 1/3 sized replica of the one in Paris, France. It is roughly 300 feet high. The view is amazing from the top. It will also help orient you to the park layout.
At about 1:00 PM we decided to have lunch. I expected throngs of hungry tourists, and outrageous prices. The lunch was reasonably priced to my surprise, and with no waiting. The only thing really expensive at Paramount’s Kings Island are; soft drinks, tea/coffee, and any water. The beverages are sold at a stunning $4.00 dollars, in any form, anywhere! I tried to ask for a cup of ice water several times. The response was: four dollars! The name of the restaurant we ate at was called Bubba Gump’s. Yes, from the movie ‘Forrest Gump’. My fish basket was a reasonable $6.50. It had 4 fish nuggets, fries, and coleslaw. My friend ordered the shrimp basket for $8.00 with the same sides. No beverage was included with the meal, if you want a drink you pay the ubiquitous $4.00. The restaurant had indoor and outdoor seating by a nice little lake. We sat by the lake and watched the ducks. There was alcohol available at this restaurant, and it is available everywhere at Paramount’s Kings Island. The restaurants are laid out well throughout the park, with a wide array of choices. In between restaurants there are hot dog stands, etc. You will have no problems finding something you like to eat. Note: no food or drink is allowed into Paramount’s Kings Island.
About amenities like shopping, restrooms, drinking fountains, shuttles, benches, and parking at Paramount’s Kings Island. Restrooms are well distributed throughout the park, we had no problem finding one. Drinking fountains I felt were few and far between. Perhaps, that is because they want you to buy the $4.00 dollar beverages sold everywhere at Paramount’s Kings Island. Shuttles are available in the parking lot, and at the front gate to take you back to your car if needed. The parking lot is huge, it is kind of airport like. It is well marked with numerical signs, don’t forget your number! There is a rather high fee for parking, $10.00 dollars, payable when you leave. If you get there early like I did, you will have no problems finding a space up close. Baby strollers are for rent at the front gate, there were also wheelchairs available for free. A note to smokers: smoking is in designated areas only, you cannot just walk through the park with cigarette in hand. Benches are located everywhere throughout the park, often they are shaded by a tree. If you are at Paramount’s Kings Island hoping to shop, you will be disappointed. The shopping is not good at Paramount’s Kings Island. Most of the shops carry the same made in China merchandise. Things like sunglasses, hats, maps, beverage glasses, etc., all marked with the Paramount’s Kings Island logo. However, you can buy a mini Eiffel Tower. I remember when I went shopping here years ago when I was a kid, the shopping was much better and the merchandise much more diverse. However, the shopping strip is beautiful, it is named International Street. It is modeled after the Champs Elyesses area in Paris, France. It is complete with beautiful fountains, trees, tables, benches, and a view of the Eiffel Tower. Cafes’ and ice cream shops line this strip as well. It is a nice place to sit down and rest for awhile, and to imagine you are in Paris, France.
There are shows available at Paramount’s Kings Island. We didn’t see any, however. Two major ongoing shows are, The School of Rock and Star Search Live. I just did not feel like sitting for 60-90 minutes with so many exciting things to see and do. To my knowledge there did not seem to be any aquatic type of shows, with dolphins, etc. In the 1970’s there was an aquatic show with dolphins, but no more. The show should be reintroduced, it would be a nice addition to the park. I do not have kids, so I cannot advise you on the parks kiddyland. We walked through it to get to a ride. It looked quite major and large. I saw many kid sized coasters, and other cartoon themed rides for all age ranges. They just added 18 new rides to this area according to television promotions, and renamed it Nickelodeon Land. When I was a kid it was named Hanna Barbera Land. Many of the rides were themed after kid’s television shows, as they are now. There are many arcade games for kids and adults scattered throughout the park as well. Paramount’s Kings Island is a wonderful place to visit for the entire family, there is something here for everyone.
