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Advice for being a Single Rider at KI


Xdog42
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So I'm in a position where I'm the only person in my family who likes roller coasters. My dad gets Headaches on them so he dosesn't ride them, And my mom and sister are too scared. Practically if we go to KI I see it as me in Rivertown and them in Planet Snoopy. Also, another sad thing is my best friend didn't get season passes this year and isn't coming to KI as much as last year, So basically I have no one to ride Coasters with. So how is it like being a Single Rider at KI and do you guys have any advice for me. And how is it like riding a coaster with someone you don't know?

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A meetup thread here is always helpful if you want to meet up with another KIC members. There is usually someone from here at the park that would not mind meeting up with you. I sometimes like being a single rider for a few hrs in the morning. By the afternoon I am ready to meet up with other KIC members. I am okay riding by myself as well.

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It's awesome.  You get to do what you want when you want.  Riding with other people isn't usually an issue.  If you are seated next to a group, they will ignore you.  You might get a smile and a slight nod.  You may get some small talk about Kings Island, which sounds like it is in your wheelhouse.  There is no reason to feel like you don't belong.  You do.  

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I know how you feel, Xdog42. I'm the only hard-core roller coaster enthusiast in my family, so riding alone is second nature to me. Usually I don't talk to anyone unless I'm asking another single rider if it's okay to ride with them (they usually say yes). But occasionally, I end up striking up a conversation with another person in front of or behind me in line, and that's always nice.

One of the coolest things about being a single rider is that you never know when you'll find a new friend! :D And if that friend is also from KICentral, then there's a bonus. :)

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I can echo what everyone has said so far. I personally have come to LOVE being at the park alone because I can do what I want when I want. 

I have a lot of regret because I spent fifteen years barely visiting parks or riding coasters because I felt weird about going alone. After the first couple times, I got over the weirdness and now I sometimes get a little edgy if I've spent too much time at the park with friends because I miss the freedom of not always negotiating what to do next. 

Going to the park alone doesn't have to be lonely, either. I've frequently gotten into conversations in lines or on the rare occasions I get paired with another rider, sometimes hitting it off with someone enough to ride two or three different rides in a row together. Being at the park as often as I am, I've made friends with a few other frequent single-riders, who I ride one or two rides and chat with before we go on our separate ways at the park. I'm not the most friendly person ordinarily, but enjoying myself, doing something I love in a place I love, tends to open me up more and put me in a more friendly mood. But on days I don't feel like talking to anybody, I can do that too. 

It helps to have a prop to keep you busy especially until you feel more comfortable: a smartphone is good. It gives you something to do in line, and makes you feel a little more connected to the friends who aren't currently with you. I've become less dependent on mine than I was at the beginning, though, often choosing to people-watch and just look around at the details of the park instead. 

Really, the thing I find most uncomfortable doing at the park alone is eating. So, I usually take my food out to the car (or brought snacks to eat in the car before I bought season-long dining) and talk to my husband on the phone while I eat. 

Because I try to go to the park when it's not busy, it's uncommon for me to be paired up with someone by the line-separator ride-op. But when it happens, it's not really as weird as I worried it would be. If not told by an employee to pair up, I will not "hop on" with another solo rider unless I ask first: I just wait for the next train. This seems to be pretty much accepted behavior, and it is exceedingly rare someone just sits next to me without being directed by an employee or asking me if I mind. The exception to this is on Diamondback, in the even rows where the seats are widely spaced, I neither ask nor expect to be asked if it is ok. It's perfectly polite to join an even row with another single without saying anything because you're actually riding closer to the people in the odd row in front of you than you will be to the other person in your row. 

My personal policy is to never refuse a request to sit with me if asked, even though I don't ask others except sometimes when I'm waiting for the front row. I would rather just wait a train than potentially make someone else feel awkward. 

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Pretty much what others have said. As a single rider, nobody really cares, there's far more of you than you think, and you have the complete freedom to do what you want when you want without having to negotiate it with the rest of your group.

If I have one regret from the past few seasons at Kings Island, it's that on almost every visit I've made, I've spent almost the entire day with other KIC members, or with my mom (we go together once every couple of years, and she doesn't ride much). I miss the first couple of years I regularly went to KI (2010 and 2011), back when I mostly went alone and had that freedom to dictate the day myself. This season, I intend to make at least one visit where I purposely don't meet up with anyone and spend the entire day as a single rider. I want to feel that freedom again. :)

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I love to ride alone and dont really pay attention anyway while on coasters, they are way too much fun! I have gone many times alone and had as much fun as with people. The only ride that I hate riding alone is Banshee or Invertigo because being that there are more than 2 seats on Banshee and that you face off (lol face off) on Invertigo, it can get kind of awkward. But riding any ride is lots of fun regardless of company or not and like mentioned before, you might get a new friend out of it, I have made several friends while in line as you can both talk about Kings Island or the local area, anything of interest at the park really. Ive always had fun alone as you can choose your day and odds are you'll meet some folks along the way! MaestroJr

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Solo tripping from Charlotte, NC to Ohio Wed 5/17/17 thru Sunday 5/21/17. Have Platinum Pass with FL+ and will be visiting KD, CP & KI. I do it every year since family/friends either can't schedule the exact same time off or simply don't like extreme/thrill vacations.

You will not be lonely if you strike up conversations. I meet tons of people this way and keep up with them via social media. Do not be afraid to ask if you can ride with someone.  To be fair, if they are a wanting a specific seat they may ask you to jump ahead of them or vice versa but I've only encountered that situation once. Also, when you are almost to the loading gate, keep an eye out for the ride op assigning seats holding up "one" finger as they are always looking for single riders.

Have never met anyone on this board being located in Charlotte, but I will be at KI on Sat 5/20 if anyone wants/needs a ride partner. Only caveat is we would have to time the wait/que if you have no FL+ but I have a lot of patience.:D

Hope this info helps the OP.

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Honestly, Single Riders are the best thing ever for Ride Operators. You guys are like Candy. We love to attempt to get full trains as best as we can. So when we have a row of 3, and a singe rider comes up? It's the best thing ever, especially if they don't mind where they sit. 

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