Michael Whitehead

Review of Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom

It really hurts to have to give such a low rating ...

It really hurts to have to give such a low rating for my most recent visit to Kentucky Kingdom, which took place on Sunday, July 26, 2015. (We have a season pass.) I really love this park. I am thrilled that it has returned, I think the ride selection, food selection, and look of the park is excellent, and I have always been one of the park's biggest cheerleaders. I live here in Louisville, but I travel to parks around the country, and have been to over 100 amusement parks. Kentucky Kingdom is developing one of the best selection of air-time coasters I have seen, and the water park is amazing. So I am speaking from the point of view of a fan of the park who wants this wonderful place to succeed. But I feel I have to mention the very unfortunate experience my girlfriend and I had when we visited the park on this day. We entered the park at 11:00, but were so upset that we were gone by 12:45 or so.

We first got in line for our favorite rollercoaster, Lightning Run. The park was crowded (which is fine and not the reason we were upset) so the line was already down the steps and most of the way back to the queue entrance. Shortly after we got in line, a group of 9 people entered the line and "excused" their way all the way through the line, up the steps and into the station! They claimed to have someone already in the ride station "holding" a place for them. Even if this is true, it is well known that this is considered illegal cutting of the line. With the line already being long, having 9 people cut in front of you is significant. Then once we were in the ride station for Lightning Run, we were two of 8 people waiting for the front row. (I have always appreciated the fact that KK lets you choose your own row!) Two members of the same group that cut us in line earlier soon got into the front row next to their friends, who were already there and were next to ride. The remaining 6 of us waiting for that row loudly objected that we were already waiting for the front, and they needed to get behind us. The two doing the cutting claimed they were "switching places" with their friends, but once they got to the front, their friends refused to move. So we then complained loudly to the ride op, who said that unless she saw it, there was nothing she could do. This was despite the fact that we had at least 4 different and unrelated parties, who vouched for the fact that this illegal cutting of the line took place.

This upset us all terribly. The coaster was loading slowly due to one reason or another (and we were not upset about that) but to have people illegally jump in front of you is frustrating and upsetting. The couple in front of us, a mother and her son from St. Louis, were really upset and vowed never to return to the park. I heard another first time family behind us express outrage at this, and I have to wonder how this first impression of the park will affect them. I want Kentucky Kingdom to succeed, and I love the park. I also realize that you cannot always catch this kind of thing. But when a group this large (9 people!) are cutting, and then they do more illegal jumping while in the station, it seems it could be mitigated. If the park would have simply stationed a guard near the bottom of the stairs to the station, and stop anyone who cuts the line, that would go a long way to stopping such behavior, at least on crowded days at the most popular rides. I have seen this happen at other parks, so Kentucky Kingdom is not unique in this regard. But I was hopeful from the promising earlier visits I had that the park was doing all it could to stop this behavior. Today that was not the case.