Review of Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom

3 years ago

GOOD:

GOOD:
* With speed and height statics that do not have a 'wow factor,' the Lightning Run and Storm Chaser coasters will catch your expectations off guard. Both are designed well and deliver breathtaking drops and airtime while staying smooth and comfortable. The park's coaster arsenal is now officially worthy of a one-tank trip.
* clean park
* great assortment of rides for the kiddos
* great management of "loose articles" made available on rides (allowing temporary storage of items at the station while riding; some parks are prohibiting this altogether and I appreciate this park not following that trend)
* fantastic water park (2 lazy rivers, adult and kid size wave pools, tons of slides)
* landscaping in the park really starting to look great
* the park has made great strides in guest navigation with great signage and opening up new pathways (much appreciated!)

BAD:
* healthy dining options are slim to none; the black bean burger is appreciated, but only available around the water park
* hourly capacity on coasters continues to be terribly low; a coaster running two trains hardly moves the line faster than when the same coaster is only running one train; short lines have surprisingly long waits; safety is important, but most of the employees must be trying to see who can move the absolute slowest
* dining locations plagued with problems including dirty tables, and deceivingly short lines that can be a 20 minute wait because, like some of the ride staff, the employees are moving ridiculously slow
* no ice tea available anywhere in the park
* I've noticed an increase in unsupervised kids; security is well placed around the park, but ride queues are providing safe havens for offensive language and littering; this isn't a terribly big deal, but it's on the cusp of becoming a problem

IMO, the achilles heel unfortunately is the staff. Some of the staff moves so slow that they are almost not moving at all. This causes so many problems, but mostly long waits for food and coasters. Disclaimer: While this may seem harsh, it has been a consistent experience. With that said, I have also experienced the occasional short wait and * exceptionally great* staff.

Some rough patches, but overall a great park! The park has been moving along full steam ahead and will keep getting better. Definitely worth the visit!