Trip Report: Kentucky Kingdom - 09/06/2020

 Trip Report: Kentucky Kingdom - September 6, 2020

Kentucky Kingdom
Louisville, KY
Sept 6, 2020

Today Dave Althoff and crew invited me to go on a trip to Kentucky Kingdom. I immediately accepted and we started looking at admission options. We had several offers on the table: the ACE club offer for $25 (with free drinks), the out of state guest offer for $30 with free drinks, the regular gate price of $40 without drinks, or the 2021 season pass for $50. The park is offering those who buy a 2021 pass to use it the remaining days of 2020, and with odds pretty good that we will venture to the park at least once next season, we decided to go with the season pass option. It should also be considered that the park has launched a free Pepsi for all promotion this fall.

So they pick me up right around 10:45 and we are soon on the road with less traffic than the weekend before. One quick rest stop later and we are pulling into Louisville, where a not so quick stop at Burger King for a quick lunch before entering the park.

We entered the parking lot and paid the $10 parking fee, being careful to take a receipt as the parking toll booth had a sign saying to take your parking receipt with you when you process your pass. The parking lot might have been more full than last time, but we decided to park a section out rather than keep hunting for a spot in the front section. Next we run the gauntlet of temperature and bag checks, but no metal detectors. While those that opted for single day tickets headed to the main gate, the rest of us headed around to the parks side gate. The parks side gate routes you through the season pass center. This was a quick and painless process. You hand in your voucher and parking receipt, they take your photo and hand you $10 (if you needed a parking reimbursement), and your season pass. An admissions person at the exit door to the season pass center scans your pass as you enter the park through the pass center.

WE regrouped just inside the front gate, grabbed our first free soft drink, and headed right for the Drop Tower, where we saw the line (max 4 people per cycle with COVID restrictions) and instead went for what should have been a walk on ride on Professor Johns Flying Machines (Flying Skooters), except while Tony and I were taking our baggage to the bins, the ride operator let in too many groups so we had to wit an extra cycle. The ride cycle was short, I didn't see the usual aerobatics show I expect out of Dave. I thought I was doing a good job, but just could not get a satisfying snap.

At this point we separated and Tony and Dave headed for Lightning Run, and April and I headed for the Breakdance. It was a 2-3 cycle wait for the Breakdance, we tried to share a car but soon came to the conclusion that neither of us would have been happy so we split up. AT least I had a car with a working tub brake this time, which is more than I can say for last month. They were only loading every other car due to COVID, and the ride motion on this one is quite tame.

April and I got more free drinks and we waited for the Lightning Run crew, we both tried the test seat for Lightning Run to no avail, as neither of us could get a green light. Out of curiosity I dropped the lap bar all the way to the seat and the green light still did not come on, a rather useless test seat. We pointed this out to Dave and Tony, and I think one of them noticed the power switch on the back of the test seat was turned OFF. We turned it on, still bad news but at least we had a better idea of what we are dealing with.

On Lightning Run, Dave realized he forgot his glasses strap, so we had to stop past a couple gift shop to sort that out. Then all 4 of us got in line for the Scream Extreme (A Zamperla Endeavor, the modern take on the Enterprise that it replaced), all 4 of us waited 3-4 cycles, all 4 of us boarded the ride, only 3 of us rode the ride, and this was before they could even lower the shoulder bars. those of us like me that rode the ride had quite a fun time. Its only one person per row, every other row closed (COVID) and legs dangling and no side walls. Essentially just a suspended chair. AS I said the ride action is much like an Enterprise.

After that ride, we dodged having to cross the infamous bridge by using the ground level crosswalk. It's a much easier way to get to the other side of the driveway, and you enter near the Roller Skater which was a 1 train wait, so we went for it. Again only seating every other row. It s a Vekoma kiddie coaster, move along.

We headed next into the water park. Changing rooms (yes private individual changing rooms), lockers (with barcode operated lockers, they give you a wristband) and we found some lounge chairs together that a family was vacating.

We headed to the smaller newer wave pool (yikes, its ice cold). It's only 5' deep and we got in, headed to the 'deep' end. And Dave noting the dry sides of the pool noted that this probably isn't wave pool any longer. In fact we were just about to give up on that when the buzzer sounded, and yes gentle waves started to appear. Nothing breathtaking just gentle fun waves. We stayed a wave cycle, then headed to the lazy river. Or adventure river as this one is called. You don't use tubes in this one, instead you use something akin to a pool noodle, except shorter than a pool noodle and being towards the end of the season rather beat up. The way its supposed to work is as one rider exits they hand you the pool noodle they just used. (Remember COVID hates chlorinated water so somehow this is "safe") I was skeptical but found I could comfortably stay afloat with just 1 pool noodle, so I found it amusing to find people who can't weigh half what I do taking 3 and 4 pool noodles. The most blatant offender would be the youngster ( I'm thinking pre-teen even) who must have had a dozen pool noodles. If you are thinking this is more than he could wield, you would be right, as he used one the park's loaner life jackets to bundle them together. Even still I could look the other way IF he was using the setup as a buoyancy aid, but he wasn't he was pushing the whole thing ahead of him, seeming goal to collect up all the noodles so as to deprive others from using the pool.. A staff member really should have intervened there, as it was clearly to the point of ridiculousness.

The water slide lines were a bit on the scary looking side, except for the speed slides, and I have done enough of those before that I don't need to subject myself to that again, There is a reason those things have fallen out of favor.

I went into the wave pool for another wave cycle, and soon thereafter the park came and closed the small wave pool and Adventure River for a lengthy bit of time. We decided to switch back to dry park mode and continue on.

We headed for Kentucky Flyer which had a long line owing to them only seating a maximum of 3 rows per train. We got the felling when the pools closed, everybody came here as it is in the water park, sort of. We tried the test seat, making sure this one was turned on first, and headed for the ride. It took a bit of doing for at least 2 of us, but we all got to ride the Kentucky Flyer. It's just what the park ordered if the park ordered a mild yet fun family ride, something more advanced and grown up looking than Roller Skater, but not quite as intimidating as Storm Chaser. Oh, and the theme and paint job make the ride an instant classic. However, I would not want to hypothetically ride Voyage in this train. It took awhile to get on this ride, and to the parks credit they did send security to the ride to try to enforce social distancing in the line.

After Kentucky Flyer came the Sky Catcher, the parks tower swing ride. Gladly, they were using all the seating on this ride, and I do find it to be a more fun than the WindSeeker rides. After Sky Catcher we dashed across the water park to T3, took one look at the T3 line and skipped that, as it was through the main queue area (no switchbacks open of course), and wrapped around through the old entrance and ended up almost back by the on ride photo stand. I was interested in trying this again with the racing belts, but hey after all its just a Vekoma Hang N Bang, one I had ridden many times before and this was Ton'y first time at this park we had to show him a much of it as we could. We passed the rapids ride just as it closed at 6 (not that there was much interest in that or Eye of the Storm (A RIng of Fire).

We headed to Storm Chaser where we were shocked to actually find a line. Tony and Dave waited about 20-30 minutes to ride this one. We then took the long walk back from Storm Chaser, skipped Mile High Falls, noted the Flying Dutchman was closed as the parks website told us it would be, and headed to Thunder Run. We got to Thunder Run to be the second last group let in line before they cut the line for the evening. We eventually let them ahead of us, so we could be the last ride of the night (taking rows 1 and 3 of course), we let April and Tony have the front seat and we took row 3. Riders in the other open seats got lucky as they got a double ride, so everybody was happy. Thunder Run was running in fine shape, got that airtime.
We exited the ride, and of course its now we realize we are thirsty. There is a Pepsi Oasis at the bottom of the Thunder Run exit ramp. The Oasis still had staff (goofing around doing nothing)) but would not serve us - Parks closed.
And thanks to COVID the water fountains are off. We pass closed concessions as we make our way to the crosswalk and back to the main gate. The food stands are closed, the water fountains turned off, and the pepsi machines also turned off (not much point with the park offering free fountain drinks). Of course every game joint was still open. We got to the front of the park and noted a mile long line for guest relations. I still have NO idea what that was about, but it just looked odd. Dave and I spotted the front gate drinks stand was still open and ran to it, just one other guest was able to get in line behind us before the park shut that down for the evening.

With that we left the park and had a awesome dinner at Texas Roadhouse. So, yeah maybe we didn't get a lot of rides, but we got to relax in the pool, had a delightful social dinner, and time with friends. Isn't that what it's really all about anyway, time with friends?

Kentucky Kingdom may be a park with several flaws, but it still offers a fun time, and has a few redeeming features.