Kings Island review: Removal from Kings Island

I am writing to express my disappointment with how I was treated during my recent visit to Kings Island.

My family and I traveled approximately three hours to visit the park and spent well over $500 during our trip. We were looking forward to making lasting memories together. Instead, the day ended with me being escorted from the park while my wife and our three children watched, leaving my children in tears.

I want to be clear that I understand and respect the importance of park safety. If I had knowingly violated a safety rule, I would have immediately complied. The issue is that I never intentionally ignored instructions.

I am a disabled United States veteran who lives with bilateral hearing loss, PTSD, chronic migraines, and other service-connected disabilities. Because of my hearing loss, I have significant difficulty hearing announcements, especially in extremely loud environments like an amusement park and while riding an attraction. I was later told that multiple announcements were made over the ride’s intercom instructing me to put my phone away. Unfortunately, I never heard those announcements. Had I heard them, I would have put my phone away immediately without hesitation.

Throughout the entire interaction with your staff and security personnel, I remained calm, respectful, and cooperative. I did not argue, become confrontational, or refuse to comply with any direct instruction once I was approached. Despite this, I was removed from the park without any opportunity to explain that I had not heard the announcements because of my hearing disability.

As someone with documented disabilities, this experience was both humiliating and heartbreaking. My children could not understand why their father was being removed from the park, and seeing them cry while we were forced to leave was one of the most difficult parts of the day.

I am not asking for special treatment or an exemption from safety rules. I simply ask that Kings Island recognize that not every guest can hear public announcements, particularly those with hearing impairments. I believe there should have been an opportunity for a staff member to speak with me directly before the decision was made to remove me from the park.

I respectfully request that park leadership review this incident, including any security footage or reports, and consider whether the situation could have been handled differently. I also ask that you consider appropriate compensation for the significant expense my family incurred and the experience we lost that day.

I have always believed businesses should strive to treat every guest with fairness, dignity, and understanding, especially veterans and individuals with disabilities. My hope is that this letter encourages a review of both my situation and the policies used when communicating with guests who may have hearing impairments.

Thank you for taking the time to read my concerns. I look forward to your response and hope we can reach a fair resolution.