Due to my very recent trip to King's Island Theme Park, I decided to impart some of the things I learned while there, including which rides are the best and what you need to know before leaving the house. I had a great time, but the experience could have been better had we done a few things differently. For the most part, my discomfort was due to my fragile body (yes, I am officially an old woman) and to the heat. I am not able to take as much as I once was, and if you're anything like me, here are some things you need to know.
1. Take Ibuprofen, Tylenol or some other pain medication.
This was our No. 1 mistake. I had a bottle in the car, but I didn't think to bring it with us. I needed it after the first ride. I have not been on a roller coaster in several years, and although I love them, my body does not. We road the Banshee twice in a row (another mistake on my part,) and that was enough to get my head permanently spinning. Every ride thereafter caused my headache to worsen, but I had to wait until we left to get relief. If you forget everything else, don't forget the pain meds
2. Take a water bottle and snacks.
This may seem like a "duh" tip, but I was surprised at how many people I saw carrying around King's Island cups filled with pop. I like soda, but it does not provide any hydration (unless you skip the caffeine). The park allows you to bring food and drinks, as long as you leave any glass bottles at home, and their water fountains now have special water bottle refill taps that are seriously awesome. I am a bit picky when it comes to water taste, but King's Island has some pretty standard water, although it isn't as cold as I would like. As for snacks, you may want to bring sandwiches for lunch. The food and drinks at the park are ridiculously priced, and pretty much all the vendors sell heavy, greasy foods. Trust me when I say you do not want to eat Panda Express or Skyline and jump on the nearest coaster.
3. Give your stomach time to digest before getting back on the rides.
Speaking of food, there were at least four separate delays due to someone getting sick and throwing up on the rides. I have been to amusement parks several times before, and I have never seen this happen. These individuals were overheated and overstuffed. I recommend giving yourself 20-30 minutes, depending on how much you ate, before riding again. If your stomach is overly-sensitive like mine, give yourself more time and start back slow.
4. Wear tennis shoes, but take flip flops/sandals.
As many of you know, King's Island has a few water rides in their park outside Soak City. These rides are pretty fun, and they are especially nice when it's 90 degrees Fahrenheit, but walking around in soaking wet tennis shoes sucks. You are allowed to bring backpacks to the park, and it will save you a lot of discomfort if you wear tennis shoes, but bring a pair of flips flops or sandals to change into for the water rides. This being said, I wouldn't recommend skipping the tennis shoes altogether and just wearing flip flops. There are several rides that pose the probability of lost flip flops due to how you are seated.
5. Don't spend the extra money on the Fast Lane passes unless you plan on going on the weekends or feel like spending the extra cash.
Waiting in line in the blazing heat sucks. Most would probably agree that waiting in long lines is the worst part of amusement parks, and it would be nice to have those fast passes. If you go during a time when the park isn't as busy, however, I wouldn't recommend spending the extra money. Fast Lane passes are going for $53 at the least, and this price doesn't include park admission. I was floored when I saw this. Sure, you can get on rides faster than everyone else, but $53? Yikes. If you're going alone or with one or two other people, the fast passes might not be a terrible deal. I would honestly rather stand in line for a bit longer, though.
6. Go during the week, if possible.
Whenever we go to King's Island, we try to pick a day during the week to avoid crowds. We went on a Tuesday, and it wasn't busy at all compared to a Friday or Saturday. If you don't have kids in public school, go in August when everyone has started back. For most of us college students, we can go in August while everyone else is back in school and before our semester even starts! Woohoo!
7. Ride the Diamondback.
This is still my absolute favorite ride in the park. It remains popular and pretty busy, even after being in the park for several years, but it is definitely worth the wait in line. It is the smoothest ride in the park, and that first drop gets me every time. The Banshee is cool, especially for those who appreciate rides that loop and corkscrew, but the Diamondback is smoother, bigger and way better.
8. Skip the Racer and the Beast if you have a headache, have back issues or just don't like rough rides in general.
The Beast is a classic ride at King's Island, and I used to love it. But after riding it once this past week, I was done with it. Since it's a wooden coaster, it's bound to be rougher than the others, but the Beast has a few sharp curves that toss you around quite a bit. If you do ride it, I would recommend the front cars; the middle ones are killer. As for the Racer, we didn't bother with this ride while we were there. It's similar to the Beast, but the Beast is longer, higher, faster and overall much better. The Racer beats you up, as well, and the stop at the end of the ride is enough to give you whiplash if you aren't expecting it.
9. Go up in the Eiffel Tower at least once.
The Eiffel Tower at King's Island is pretty cool; it's a replica of the original, save the fact that it's smaller (it's one third the size of the one in Paris.) If you don't like heights, this probably isn't the attraction for you, but I love being able to see for miles on a clear day. You also get a nice view of all the coasters in the park.
10. Be prepared to rent out a locker.
When we first arrived, a security guard explained that in order to ride the Banshee, the Firehawk and a couple other rides, you must rent out a locker to store any loose items in (including cell phones.) The lockers are only two dollars for two hours, and they are fairly roomy, fitting up to three full cinch sacs.
11. Take a rain jacket.
I often complain about how unpredictable the weather is, and our trip to King's Island was no exception. We checked the forecast before buying our tickets a few days in advance, but the morning we went, the radar showed storms moving in. We were thankfully only rained on a couple times, but I was glad to have my rain jacket with me despite the heat. If the weather gets too nasty, most of the rides will shut down, but for just rain, they usually keep running.
I still love King's Island, but my body is starting to hate me for it. I am very sensitive to heat, and I likely would have done much better if it hadn't been in the upper 80s and humid. If you dislike summer because of the heat, I totally relate, and I would definitely recommend going during the fall; Octoberfest is coming up! One other bit of advice: if you can swing it, spend the entire day at the park. Open to close. King's Island still has fireworks every night at closing, and if you're not dying of exhaustion like we were, you can stay and see them quite well from the parking lot.
