A combination of going almost five months without coaster riding, great weather, and buzz created by new management, especially Six Flags' new CEO, Mark Shapiro, I chose to make the drive down to Louisville to check out Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom (SFKK) on April Fool's Day (Sat. 4/1/06).
I bought my season pass online, and printed the vouchers at home, the night prior towards leaving. I took my friend Brian, who also followed the same procedure, and we left northern Cincinnati at around 9:30 am, arriving at the Kentucky Fair & Expo Center approximately at 11:30. There were a large amount of cars parked in front of the expo halls, as there was a Flea Market going on in the West Hall, but we ended up finding a space with a short walk to the park.
Walking in, security seemed more strict than they were last year, doing a more thorough search, making me empty out all my pockets of electronic items, camera, phone, and iPod nano included. Beyond that, the area was very festive and inviting, with balloons and even the new Six Flags "theme song" playing, and people and signs saying "Have a great 45th Anniversary!" The chain is celebrating its 45th anniversary, since Six Flags over Texas opened in 1961. This, however makes guests think Kentucky Kingdom itself opened in 1961, and not really in 1987 (before closing for 2 seaons after a bad first year). BUT there have been FAR more misleading claims made...
Brian and I soon made our way to the Season Pass processing center, which had a short line outside the door. Upon making our way, more were already in, while there were a LOT of employees working the cameras, so getting our passes was with little effort. Noting a short line, we went to Hellevator, which only had a one to two cycle wait, and only one of the 5 sections were out of order. Since I'm looking out on the vast Expo Center and the city beyond, I hardly notice wer're going to be dropped.
Since I haven't been on a coaster since November, I wanted to start off on a good one, so I chose to go to Greezed Lightnin'. We got in the second to last row, when we noticed that our friends Adam and Darlene were waiting in the back! Not only did we notice that there is a "new" loop, but also a "new" train: they were parts of the former Tidal Wave/Greased Lightning that ran at Marriott's/Paramount's Great America in California. You may recall that after being dismantled, it was bought by Six Flags Marine World as parts, but never rebuilt whole again. I noticed the train looked different, not only by its colors, but also its headrests, and the yellow markings on the lapbars (something frequently seen on lapbars/restraints at Kings Island). The ride, however, was of the same quality as before, with some good airtime sitting in the back.
The four of us went to ride Road Runner Express next, with a decent line. While it is a mouse with a lot of quick stops and lateral G's, it had some negative vertical G's as well. The frequently alternating view between Chang and Freedom Hall was fun, too. Right after our ride, we headed across the "Damn Bridge" to the larger section of the park towards Chang.
Earlier on, we learned that Chang was receiving a badly needed paint job, which would be of yellow track and blue supports. Some school children entered and won the contest to pick the colors. I'm glad they're going back to the original yellow color, the greenish yellow and purple scheme began fading before too long. The past week, we learned that a painter was injured after falling 25 feet from a ladder while repainting Chang. We ended up waiting about half an hour, into the large queue area, as only one train was operating - it's possible one was out of order, or not being used while the paint job is underway. We ended up in the very back row, which, while intense, was still a great ride. After getting off, we noticed 4-5 Army soldiers in full dress uniform, always nice to see. The temperature neared 70, but I guess still comfortable, whether in shorts or in full sleves and pants.
Our next activity, T2, brught us one of the biggest surprises of the day: both trains in operation! While it is often a slow moving, low capacity ride, that really changes when another train is added, and we had little to no wait. This, however, should be expected, since new CEO Mark Shapiro had questioned the practice of ride vehicles being out of use, especially when there are long lines. This is possibly the second time I've ever seen T2 running... "T2."
Next to T2, we notice that Chaos was removed. The ride had suffered a lot of downtime, and was replaced with benches and trees, as it is now a designated smoking area. New this year, Six Flags parks have gone "smoke free," with the use of designated areas. While it is hard for a park in Kentucky to kick the habit, they may be doing a better job, with signage, more visible areas, and public address announcements - eventually, more and more guests will get a hold of the policy.
Walking towards the back of the park, to ride Twisted Twins, we noticed that the Penguin's Blizzard River was up and running, to our surprise. In addition, the pathway that goes by the Top Eliminator dragsters has been closed off, and according to the map, removed as an attraction. In the past few years, Top Eliminator was rarely open, as least to me. This then, took us underneath Thunder Run, which we'll come back to later. The other water ride, Mile High Falls, was also in operation. With the moderate temperatures, we chose not to get wet, as both water rides can get you drenched.
Only one side of Twisted Twins was open, Stella - as Lola was said to be undergoing some work. The one side, however, delivered a great, smooth ride. While it is one of the lowest rated CCI coasters, I think it's honestly underrated. Since Darlene and Adam had ridden Thunder Run earlier on, and they needed to process their passes, Brian and I did Thunder Run, which had a line down to the stairs. While Thunder Run is a great fast, and airtime filled woodie, its operation needs to be redone. They need to build a transfer track for a second train, which I think can be done. Its capacity isn't too "swift."
Roller Skater is a neatly designed Vekoma junior coaster, and we did that, mainly because I wanted to add it to my annual count. After that ride, I went in search for a good lunch-snack, which runs me to one of the biggest complaints of the day: food pricing has gone up. Yes, Papa John's (which started in Louisville over 20 years ago), is now the official pizza at Six Flags parks, but $6 is very pricey for a "large slice." Medium drinks cost close to $4. Even though I had a coupon with my Season Pass, it cost $7.50 for fried Oreos (which were good) and a medium drink. This seems to be going against what other parks have done for food and drink - Cedar Fair parks are charging 25¢ for cotton candy - and Holiday World, only 1-1/2 hours away, offers free unlimited soft drinks (and Voyage!). My problem is not with the gate pricing and season passes, but the overpriced parking (SFKK is exempt), food and drinks is a pain.
Some welcome changes, however, were the placement of restroom attendants, ensuring clean facilities. This was one of the bigger complaints about Six Flags parks, and they have thus responded. Also new this year is expanded live entertainemnent. Many of the Looney Tunes characters were present, new shows have been added, and parades are planned for this season, as well. One thing I find emphasized a little too much was the "45th Anniversary" thing. It's nice to celebrate the anniversary of their first park, Six Flags over Texas, but still a little overdone for a park that is less than 20 years old. We also noticed that Thrill Park Theater is now showing "The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera," which the Paramount Parks, include Kings Island, is also showing. Unfortunately, the simulator ride was closed, which means I'll have to wait a couple weeks to see it.
After eating, we an into Adam and Darlene again, as we headed to ride the Giant Wheel for a panoramic view of the park. Then, back over the "Damn Bridge" to the front for another ride on Hellevator, and some flat rides. Himalaya was fun, because they play a good mix of rock and country (plus the Vengaboys song that Six Flags recently made famous with Mr. Six). We also rode Enterprise and the Rainbow, before deciding to go to the back of the park again for another ride on T2 and then Twisted Twin Stella. Darlene and Adam parted ways, and Brian and I got a second ride on Chang. Since I love B&M coasters, a ride on Chang at SFKK is mandatory for me.
Before leaving for the day, Brian and I got two rides in on Greezed Lightnin', including one in the front car (I had the front row). I simply love this Schwarzkopf shuttle looper. This capped off a beautiful and exciting day at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, which is beginning to turn a new corner for the better - new experiences, and better guest service, even as we were leaving the park gate. I might head back to SFKK in May when I go to Holiday World, possibly for HoliWood Nights on Memorial Day weekend.
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