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My perception of the park these days is that installs are simply based on the best way to satiate most guest interests. There's an obvious concentrated effort to increase capacities, and to focus on things for the entire family that are dependable and marketable. I would suspect - based on things like food offerings, meal plans, etc that a lot of the survey results are indicating that people want to take their entire family there for the overall experience - and want a deal - rather than to simply ride a huge coaster. I would suspect Cedar Fair views CP as their Ohio "thrill" park, and Kings Island their "experience" park - a precedent that was set independently by those parks many years before Cedar Fair took the helm. Most every install at KI is based on guest feedback through surveys - so if guests say they want a 300' coaster, then they'll probably install one. If guests are saying they want more kids rides, then that takes priority. KI has to straddle the middle in most cases - since it's a very family oriented park. They could have very easily built Mystic Timbers 100 feet taller, or twice as long and fast - but they installed a highly enjoyable, non-intimidating ride that many people can enjoy. MT actually, IMO, filled a need that I didn't even know existed. It's a mid-sized ride that pulls two audiences... it's a "graduating" coaster for kids moving up a thrill level... and it's a satisfyingly fun ride for those already used to bigger thrills. I also think that for many, many, years, KI execs have been trying to completely correct the "ills" of the former owner. There's a focus on bringing back a lot of the quality to the park, while reducing it's previous blatant commercialism. In addition, they've steered away from gimmicks... special effects, complicated theming that is expensive to maintain etc. I see a lot of infrastructure changes to the dated buildings and facilities, that frankly, cost a LOT of money (but often go unrecognized by guests.) The Paramount installs - as fun and over-the-top as they were, weren't (as a whole) dependable and high volume enough - and are to blame for many of the confusing compromises to the themes of the park. Bottom line, I do have my fingers crossed that KI will get their own version of 'Leviathan" or "Fury." (I would kill to see one of those at KI.) Chances are, it will come... in due time... and only if most guests want it. But frankly, my biggest dream for KI, especially the older I get, is that the park adds things that will keep it around for another 50, 100, 200 years.

If you look closely at Kings Island, they tend to be behind on the times. When Ouimet came along, and maybe even before that, I started to see a trend in coasters. The invert craze was in the late 90s/early 2000s and there wasn't a ton of huge installations of B&M invert until 2014 with Banshee. Three years later we get a GCI woodie in the form of Mystic Timbers, again a little behind the trend of GCI installs where it was in the mid to late 2000s with Prowler, Thunderhead, Renegade, etc. And look more recently as Cedar Fair has pumped out 3 gigas in the early 2010s and we haven't seen even plans for one since 2015. Maybe I'm just being a conspiracy theorist but I like to believe that KI goes behind the curve and makes world class rides that dominate the others. I believe Banshee and Mystic Timbers are arguably the superior rides of their classes currently and you can argue with me if you want. What am I saying? I feel like Kings Island chose to wait on a giga for when the craze dies down to set itself apart, so if and when it does get a giga, it'll be one of a kind and incomparable from other rides similar to what Banshee and Mystic Timbers have done.

Having the original Eagles back would be a dream come true. As they were my favorite non-coaster ride ever, I would be beyond happy! I agree Shaggy, it was one of the most perplexing moves I have seen as far as the park goes. Such a loved ride with so much Cincinnati historical background from Coney to KI. Sometimes, I still hearing the cables snapping in my head as I walk by that stupid basketball game.

To keep me busy during these long weeks of no weekdays and a couple weeks of KI being closed entirely, I've started another twitter countdown, to Haunt. It started today: I'll be sharing a pic or other small bit of info everyday. Hope people enjoy it!

It's the same train - however the train's decorations were severely altered after this pic was taken. That pic is from IAAPA in 1978 - when they showed off the lead car. At that point, there were 4 trains. Prior to opening, the ride reduced to 3 trains and received a different "fire-themed" paint job and had the headlamp removed in favor of a logo (that would better represent the park in media coverage.) After a few weeks of operation the tufted button upholstery was removed as well. In subsequent seasons, the cars and chassis were cut down by the park to reduced them to 3-bench seats. The coaster still uses 3 of it's original trains - only SEVERELY altered. The #4 spare was broken up to extend the 3, and eventually the #4 lead was given to Ruth Voss upon retirement.

I would love to have our Eagles back. I agree with Shaggy that they are historical to KI and would be a welcome addition back to the park.

And if you look at the set up of the queue lines and air gates, you can tell they were designed for the original four row trains. That is why there is the one set of gates for a car that opens at a 45 and has yellow arrows on the station floor.

Longtime park guest, sometime reader of this site since 2012, member of this site since last year, first-time poster. Let's get to it, shall we? I'm 33 years old and I believe I was three when I first went to KI, so that would be 1987. What was then Waterworks (great name btw) opened in 1989, so, while the waterpark was a staple of my preteen and teenage summers, I did visit at least once while the park was land-only. I seem to recall a walking path that was probably taken out as the waterpark was being built. It wound behind International Street, through and/or around what was then Hanna-Barbera Land, and came out close to the entrance. Does anyone else recall this, or have access to historic park maps that I could use to verify or disprove my memory? I was really little, so I could be wrong, but my memory is usually pretty accurate. This is my first random memory. I have several more.

^I believe what was meant was that it may be better to get a coaster type (Invert in this case) after the company has mastered the design of it a bit more. The newer Banshee is better than the older Batman the Ride. So, going off this, since Kings Island is waiting on a giga, that giga should be better than the previous gigas, much like how most people believe Fury is better than Levi. This is just my interpretation on what was said Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I had not thought about it that way Baconator. Interesting hypothesis!

No, The Beast doesn't have the original train. This is the original train:

Now that I am NOT in favor of. Frankly, I think the layout needs to remain the same. "The Beast" has entertained and thrilled millions upon millions upon millions of people for nearly 40 years. To me, The Beast is the structure, and the way it brilliantly navigates it's terrain and woods. You have to understand that The Beast represents a time when all engineering was done by hand - it's a stamp in time as to the talents, and genius of the men who designed and engineered it - Al Collins and Jeff Gramke. I dont think such a change would be accepted by those countless people that love the ride - and I do mean COUNTLESS. Changing it's layout would be akin to re-painting the Mona Lisa. Yeah - she might be lacking eyebrows and may have faded a bit with time - but think of the beauty and originality you'd lose if you updated her.

As a member of ACE for the past several years, I enjoy events that are scheduled locally and enjoy the magazines and newsletters reading about other amusement parks around the world. It's a great club to belong to with the great perks of having Kings Island in my backyard. ACE and KI have always enjoyed a great relationship with its members and will continue in the future years to come. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Welcome to KIC! To answer: 1. New passholders will have their free parking beginning with the 2018 season, once they've used their free visit; I believe Winterfest is still considered part of the 2017 season. 2. You may either process your pass at the park through closing day of Haunt, or save your paperwork and do it at the park in the Spring. Traditionally, the park has opened for a few hours a day the week before the season opens for season pass processing only. I don't believe the park mails passes. 3. Free parking goes away once the Gold offer does, which is usually just after Memorial Day; however, the lowest price of the year is currently being advertised. After closing day of Haunt, the price shoots up for Gold. If that's important to you, I would advise buying now.

I actually was afraid of that at the beginning of the season. I personally don't think Racer appears more rough with MT. For those that have not ridden or only limited rides might think so? I would recommend riding red or blue and then sit in the same seat on the other side.

Carowinds has announced 6 new attractions for their kids area, newly renamed to Camp Snoopy from Planet Snoopy. Being added are: Camp Bus (Zamperla Crazy Bus) Peanuts Trailblazers (themed Whip) Kite Eating Tree (Frog Hopper) Pig Pen's Mud Buggies (Zamperla Jump Around) Woodstock Whirlybirds (Teacups) Beagle Scout Acres (kids' play/climbing area with slides and interactive features) Several older rides area leaving Planet Snoopy, to be relocated elsewhere in the park or to other parks. Woodstock Gliders (KI's Flying Eagles) are being relocated to make room for Camp Snoopy rides; whether they're staying at Carowinds has yet to be announced. Press release: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/newly-expanded-kids-area-pre-k-pass-to-debut-at-carowinds-in-2018-300504079.html Website: https://www.carowinds.com/explore/camp-snoopy

Its funny, but water rides have taken a turn in popularity over the years. Back in the 1980's-early 1990's they were a hot commodity and people would wait for hours to get soaked on these in a dry ride-park. But actually, I think the "soaking" part is what ultimately has cost their popularity - that and the onslaught of parks with waterpark/bathing suit options. I know I personally don't want to walk around a park soaking wet - especially with squishy shoes. Amazingly themed and fun too look at, River Battle was not a "thrilling" ride by any means. Couple that with the "soaking" aspect and those 2 negatives cost them a good percentage of their riding audience. Knowing Dollywood, they'll add something much better in it's place. The park is smart, and they don't let unpopular rides stagnate for too long. Frankly, the ride would probably be immensely popular if moved to Splash Country.

Sorry to tangent, but for anyone observant, there's a blatant misspelling in this picture. silver2005, who believes the shirt is a symptom of what is the worst bowl game ever.

Thanks for the post Gabe, but this thread could turn political real fast. This thread will be locked.

Of course eveyone know's I am, and always will be a Beast fan... But, I am personally of the opinion that Beast needs it's trains replaced. The existing trains are considered the "originals" but they have been chopped, altered, padded, divided, dissected, renovated, changed, updated, downgraded, upgraded, conformed, and manipulated to the point that they are not remotely the same trains it started with... I'd actually go as far to say that in reality on about 10% or less of the trains is still "original." Just think about it... they were immediately altered after opening (interior hand-stitched tufted padding was taken out, the headlamp removed and replaced with the logo), then they were cut down from 4-benchers to 3 within a few years of operation, and in the subsequent 30 seasons had the buzz bars removed, headrests added, seat dividers extended, accessible strapping added, extra padding added, seat belts added, skids removed for fins etc etc etc. I don't at all think it would be some horrible thing to replace the trains completely. Frankly, a switch to a different type of train from the EXTREMELY dated PTC's would help re-invigorate the ride IMO - allowing for more rider comfort and also allowing for more guests to ride (let's face it... people are fat these days - so everything from cars, to airlines to movie theaters are having to address this.) It would be nice if PTC had an updated version of the trains to offer. But as far as I know, PTC continues to produce the same archaic trains they were making 100 years ago. I understand they do a good business for those that want new trains identical to the older ones - but they have virtually NO other options as far as styling or articulation, just wooden boxes on wheels. Heck - one of the main reasons The Beasts elements are so far apart is because the longer PTC trains couldn't articulate directional changes abruptly. The only option PTC gives it's customers for tighter elements is shorter cars yet still non-articulating. If The Beast changed trains, it would be a necessary advancement. The originals, or AN original, could be kept for display. If I was given a magic wand, I'd probably wave it at The Beast and orchestrate a complete station, theme element and train overhaul. The water, mining Co, Beast warning sign, tc would all be updated/brought back. And it would get a test seat - which it has needed desperately for decades. Of course it's very easy for me to be a keyboard critic and think that it would be that easy - it would likely take at least a million dollars to make that happen - alterations, permits, inspections, insurance adjustments etc etc etc. And why buy the Mercedes if the Cadillac is working just fine? No matter - I still love it ;-)

August 19th return trip: Started out my day at 10am riding Dominator. Very nice ride, very smooth, and fun. Wait for the front seat was maybe ten minutes. Made my way over to Candy Apple Grove area, rode the Ricochet. Pretty good stationary "wild mouse" ride. Rebel Yell, both sides were walk on in the front, exciting wooden rollercoaster as always. WindSeeker wasn't operating at the start of the day. Rode Drop Tower solo, and it was pretty good. Nice controlled falling. Went over to Delirium, great as always. I was surprised that the over the shoulder restraints were automatic on this, I don't remember if Kings Island's are automated. I then went over to The Crypt. Definitely a different ride than Tomb Raider: The Ride, but still was enjoyable! It flipped so many times! The theming on this ride is very lacking, with alot of the props eroding, as you can see lots of the interior Styrofoam on several objects, but minor complaint. Next up was Avalanche. Very smooth and different ride than many rides I've been on before, being a bobsled course "roller coaster." Went to Flight of Fear next. I was quite surprised that there was no queue line show like Kings Island's. It may still be intact, but only open when the lines are long, but if it was, they had it closed off. The ride was good as Kings Island's so no difference there. The last ride I did for the day was Intimidator 305. Man oh man, was this a great ride! Great speed, great excitement, and I rode it twice! Kings Dominion's Action Theater (looks to still have the Days of Thunder signage for the seating rows on the doors ) seems to be operating, and they had "Toy Race" running, but whenever I passed, the entrance was closed. Apparently a show starts every 25 minutes, but I didn't have the time to be able to wait for the next showing. If anyone has any details on this, I'd appreciate hearing them, since there's no details on the show on their website. Kings Dominion Roundup: #1 metal ride: Intimidator 305 #2 metal ride: Dominator #3 metal ride: Volcano #4 metal ride: Avalanch #1 wood ride: Grizzly #2 wood ride: Rebel Yell

Hello everyone! Get ready for another trip report, as I went to Kings Island yesterday (8-18-2017) with my sister and two friends. First up, for newbies who have never read one of my trip reports, my ride rating system... 10=Incredible 9=Excellent 8=Very Good 7=Good 6=OK 5=Meh 4=Bad 3=Garbage 2=Horrible 1=Super Garbage 0=Ultimate Garbage Be warned- we were able to do a lot since crowds were light, and we spent the entire day at the park to boot. This is gonna be a long trip report. Me, My Sister, and 2 of our friends arrived at the park at 9:45 AM and since we saw the parking lot was mostly empty, we decided to go straight to Mystic Timbers before it could build up a line. We looked around some of the shops before the rope drop, and then headed straight to Mystic Timbers. Ride #1: Mystic Timbers Wait: Under 5 Minutes The ride has gotten a bit rougher, and is no longer glass smooth like it was one my visit in April (Still pretty smooth though). However, I kind of liked it better that way- it felt like the ride had a bit more of a "edge". The airtime and forcefulness also felt a bit stronger. The shed is actually better when you ride a 2nd time, as you know what to expect a bit more and can look around for the cool hidden secrets. We got the Snakes ending this time, and it played "Maneater" as the song. Mystic Timbers improves from 9/10 on my first ride on it to a full 10/10! It was also my sister's friends first big roller coaster. He was actually OK on it and did want to ride more... Score: 10/10 After Mystic Timbers, we decided to hit 3 more coasters before the crowds could build up, knowing they were all low capacity... Ride #2+3: Backlot Stunt Coaster Wait: Walk-On We walked onto Backlot Stunt Coaster, and got a ride where NOTHING WAS WORKING. The ride still has some fun forces and elements, but it loses a bit of charm when everything is off. On a positive note, the emergency lights in the tunnel were on so we got to see the actual track in there. It's not as crazy as it seems when the lights are off. We then sat on the brake run for a good 10 minutes as a mechanic...fixed the effects. We got off and as it was still a walk-on, we rode it again with the effects on and they were all working the 2nd time. The lights in the tunnel were still on though. Score: 7/10 no effects, 8/10 with effects After Backlot, we headed to X-Base, to ride its "Big Brother"... Ride #4: Flight of Fear Wait: Walk-On This was the classic, a bit rough and super forceful and intense ride I have come to expect from Flight of Fear. All of the effects in the que and on the ride itself (the lights basically) were working. The UFO in the que going dark was creepy and awesome. The alien dude they put sitting at the end of the ride got me to chuckle as we headed out of the ride. Also the MCBR was back on, unlike my last ride in 2016. Our friend, who was just getting into coasters, didn't like this one at all as he thought it was too intense. Score: 9/10 After FOF, we headed to its next door neighbor...which I have not ridden since 2012... Ride #5: Firehawk Wait: 10 Minutes (1 Train- not much of a line though so we waited it out...) As we got on and boarded, we laid back...and we heard the lift hill going. Turns out, they decided to set up and send out the other train for test runs. Afterwards we were sent out and got our ride. The sun was in our faces as we climbed the lift hill, which provides a great view of the park if you look to the right (I did just that to avoid looking at the Sun). The ride packed a bit more force than I remember (then again it has been 5 years) especially in the loop which was awesome. A fun ride I don't get to ride very often due to its usually crazy long lines. Score: 8/10 After Firehawk, our friend who has just starting to get into coasters started to become sick, and he revealed he has a weak stomach and gets sick easily if spun around/flipped, so the 2 inverting coasters we just rode (FOF+Firehawk) were too much. He was still happy to come with us though and carry our stuff when we rode stuff that needed lockers. My sister wanted to head to the waterpark at noon, and eat now (it was like 11:30 AM) but she was OK with me leaving on my own to ride 2 rides solo... Ride #6: The Beast Wait: Walk-On This was my first time solo on The Beast, and my 20th ride overall on it. I accidently chose a wheel seat in the back of a car because I didn't notice the arrows in the station at first. The ride was a bit rougher because of this, but it wasn't horrible. The ride also packed a good amount of speed, and good forcefulness and intensity. However it was also hot out, and for whatever reason it didn't feel quite as good as some of my other Beast rides- I think it was the heat, warm air does not feel as fun to go through fast as cooler air to me. Because of this I think I got better daytime rides on Mystic Timbers instead of Beast. But...well, read on. Score: 9/10 After a slightly rough-but-fun old ride, I decided before I met back up with my group to hit the waterpark, the perfect ride to compliment it would be something huge, modern, and smooth... Ride #7: Diamondback Wait: Under 5 Minutes I took the back car once again since I love the airtime from that car, and I rode with a nice old lady and her grandkids. She had never been on the ride, so I warned her of the airtime that was to come. Sure enough, Diamondback offered up a buffet of airtime as usual. I loved it once again. The lady, however, looked spooked. She calmed down by the time we returned to the station but she'd had enough for one day she said. Her grandkids loved it though, and were trying to get her to go on Banshee next. As for me, I had to meet up with my group again... Score: 10/10 We all met up, grabbed our stuff, and headed towards the main exit (we had to get our waterpark gear). But our now non-coaster riding friend wanted to quickly ride the Eiffel Tower, so we did so. Ride #8: Eiffel Tower Wait: Walk-On The view from atop the Eiffel Tower was amazing as usual. I noticed a tall electrical tower I had seen in Google Maps off in the distance, as well as what looked to be hundreds of water towers. A ride-op asked me how many trees, I said hundreds of thousands if not millions. I may be in the ballpark... Score: 8/10 After the Tower, we exited the park got our waterpark gear ready, and came back in. We decided to ride the train to the waterpark... Ride #9: Kings Island & MV RR Wait: 10 Minutes (Train took a while to arrive as only 1 was running) The train was its usual self for the most part, save us only riding it halfway. Does it still count as a full ride if you get off at the waterpark and never get back on though? Score: 7/10 We arrived at the waterpark, fully changed into our swimsuits, and headed out to find...half the waterpark was closed. Apparently there was not enough staff, which I guess is because KI employs a ton of school kids and it was a weekday. However, we found Tidal Wave Bay was open, so we hit it up. I really didn't mind much as I just wanted to get wet and this would do... Ride #10: Tidal Wave Bay Wait: N/A This giant wave pool has some pretty freakin' strong waves! It was slightly annoying at first, but I found if you don't resist and go with the waves, it becomes pretty fun. Pool was pretty packed. I eventually managed to get a floating ring thing and it became even more fun to get carried by the waves. I enjoyed this attraction. Score: 8/10 After the refreshing TWB, we decided to ride Tropical Plunge, since it was one of the few waterslides open that looked interesting. Ride #11: Tropical Plunge (Blue Drop Slide) Wait: 10-15 Minutes I chose the Blue slide, since from atop, it looked like a good layout. I boarded the "coffin", and the eerie lady voice counted down 3...2..1...DROP! The drop itself was not that bad, kinda like Drop Tower's is to me. However, what became annoying as all heck is that the entire way down, water was snorting its way up my nose and I could not see anything because of it. I only knew the ride was ending when it went dark towards the end. Still fun, but if there was some way to ride it without getting water constantly shot in my face, I'd do that instead. Score: 7/10 After taking "Da Plunge", we were hungry and decided to hit one of the main things we came to the waterpark to try... Food #1: Island Smokehouse Wait: None Island Smokehouse was pretty dead, only a few people were inside. Kind of surprising. I saw the chicken fingers in person, and had to try them as they looked great, and they were. The ribbon cut fries they came with were also very good. I also tried some of my sister's food, she got the chicken wings and mac n' cheese, both of those were also excellent. I got so full I didn't even really need to eat more the rest of the day! Kings Island has a great new restraunt here, and I hope the rumors it is coming to the dry park in 2018 are true. Score: 10/10 After we ate, I sat out a 2nd trip to the wave pool (I was a little water hesitant after Tropical Plunge) and waited while the others swam a bit more. We then headed back to the changing stations, and switched back to our dry gear. We then headed to the car (long walk, may have been a mistake) and dropped off our wet gear. We then headed back into the main park, and into Action Zone. There were still no lines, but when my sister had us hand all our stuff to our friend who didn't wanna do coasters anymore, I knew we were gonna ride... Ride #12: Banshee Wait: Walk-On Banshee has been an amazing B&M Invert since Day 1 in 2014, and there was nothing different here. Great speed, strong g-forces, and smooth elements and transitions. There was still a bit of a rattle but it was not as bad as it was in April. I also noticed (or at least think I did) the never-used trim before the pretzel/heart loop was gone. Banshee: dishin' out epic rides since 2014. Score: 10/10 After Banshee, we tried to get our friend to ride The Bat with us since it lacked inversions and we thought it would be OK for him, but he dumped on us halfway through and we didn't even notice until it was too late. We then rode The Bat ourselves. Ride #13: The Bat Wait: Walk-On I had heard the ride was broken a few days ago, so I am glad The Bat was open for us when we visited yesterday. The ride was the normal fun, swinging coaster that sadly always ends way too soon I love. It may have been a good thing our other friend didn't ride, as we noticed that last swing on the brake run is pretty intense and could have further upset his stomach. Score: 8/10 After The Bat, we planned to start heading down Coney Mall and hitting the coasters there we had yet to ride. However, the others decided to stop and smoke, while I am a non-smoker. I said "OK so we are doing Adventure Express, The Racer, and Vortex next?" "The other 2 sure, but, Uhh, we really aren't down for Vortex right now." I asked if I could ride Vortex by myself while they smoked, they said yes. I headed down Coney Mall, and reached Vortex for said ride. Ride #14: Vortex Wait: Walk-On I rode in 5-1 yet again since it is one of my favorite seats (I debated 7-1 but it would have had a short wait). Vortex was rougher than I recall it being, because in addition to the normal stuff, there seemed to be a occasional awkward shuffle near the start of the ride (first few turns- by the end of the ride it was back to "normal" though). The ride itself also felt faster and more intense though as well. I wasn't in any physical pain afterwards, so all in all I enjoyed the ride. I also for the first time in person saw The Vortex "smile". I cannot unsee it now. Thanks, VortexBFFForever...who may or may not have been working Vortex, I dunno. I rode around 5:30PM... Score: 8.5/10 I met back up with the group, who had finished smoking, and we headed for the other 2 rides they were down for. First up, Adventure Express! Ride #15: Adventure Express Wait: Walk-On I just realized that I rode all 3 of KI's Arrow coasters back-to-back. LOL. Our friend sat this one out as well, even though to be honest it would probably have been fine since AE isn't the most intense or craziest coaster out there. It is good fun though, and ALL the effects on the final tunnel were working for once! Score: 8/10 We then hit up Racer which was next door, which oddly was running both sides even though it only needed to do 1 due to the crowd levels. So much for my "Both Sides Only Run on Busy Days" theory... Ride #16: Red Racer Wait: Walk-On My friend who was doing coasters and sister wanted to do Blue Racer, so when we boarded, just for fun, I hopped onto the same car on Red, 1 seat back because they were on a wheel and I didn't want to do that. I might have been fine though, because Racer was running pretty smoothly. Good amounts of airtime, and the trains were racing (though they started Red out a little ahead for some reason). I taunted my friends on the other train as we headed up the lift hills. It backfired however- even though my train was cheatin', somehow the Blue Racer still won. D'OH! Score: 8.5/10 After Racer, my sister and friend wanted to ride Beast (I already had) and Diamondback next, but took another smoking break beforehand. While sitting with them, I noticed we were VERY near Zephyr, a ride I had not ridden in 17 years. Rather than smoke... Ride #17: Zephyr Wait: Walk-On ...I swung! This ride has a lot of very pretty artwork on it. I do think I slightly perfer Holiday World's Hollowswings but Zephyr is still a fun Wave Swinger ride. Score: 8/10 After Zephyr, we continued with the plan. Next up was The Beast...for me, again... Ride #18: The Beast (2nd Ride) Wait: 5 Minutes For the first time ever, I finally got to ride in the very last car of Beast. I was in 6-2, the non wheel seat in said car. I wondered how much crazier this back car really would be. Turns out...a little bit, but not that much. I did get a nice weak pop of airtime on the 2nd drop, but other than that and a bit more intensity in the helix (and a smoother ride since it wasn't a wheel seat) it felt the same as earlier in the day. So...same rating. Score: 9/10 We then headed over to check the line for Mystic Timbers, looked around 20 minutes or so. While that wasn't a huge wait, Diamondback had a even shorter line than that, so we rode it instead for right now. Ride #19: Diamondback (2nd Ride) Wait: 10 Minutes Waterpark had likely closed by this point, hence why there were now some short lines instead of zero lines. However, Diamondback's crew was really working their butts off, so the wait was pretty short. I rode in the very back car again, though even further back now in the divided seats since my sister and other friend wanted to front seats. I got a little extra airtime from being a bit further back, but other than that and some mist from the final splashdown, same ride as before. Still very fun. Score: 10/10 We went and checked on Mystic Timbers again, but it's line grew a little bit. I wanted to ride again, but my sister and her friends wanted to do White Water Canyon and the log flume (including the guy who didn't wanna do coasters since these were not coasters). So we split up... Ride #20: Mystic Timbers (2nd Ride) (WOOHOO 20+ RIDES IN 1 DAY!) Wait: 30 Minutes (Huge in comparison) The ride itself was the same as before, until the shed at least, so I don't need to mention that again. However I noticed while in line how much mass appeal Mystic Timbers seems to have- Old people, kids, and coaster loving teens were all in line for this one. There was a dad and his 2 kids who were about to make this their first big coaster, or at least it seemed that way. Kings Island truly has found the sweet spot with this GCI wooden coaster. As for the shed, I got Bats for the 2nd time (1st was back in April on my first ride) but since it was sunset and darker out now, the little details really stood out more, like the hidden text and stuff. I also don't know what song was playing on this one, it was cheesy 80's pop but that's all I could recognize. I also was sitting in car #8, so I saw the entire finale video this time. They also put a huge fan in the shed due to the heat- hopefully at some later date AC will be added. Mystic Timbers seems to be a ride that gets better every time I ride it... Score: 10/10 After Mystic Timbers, I met my group, who rode WWC and Surf Dog instead of Log Flume because the Log Flume had a long wait. WWC had also soaked them. My sister was hungry, so she used her meal plan (she had paid $75 for a ticket that included that, admission, parking, and a drink bottle) and got a BBQ sandwich from Tom+Chee. She ate half her sandwich and gave me the rest, so I guess... Food #2: Tom+Chee Wait: None MMm...the sandwich was delicious and the perfect size for someone who was still somewhat full from the Island Smokehouse earlier. She also actually got her chips this time, which they had forgotten back in April. She gave them to another friend of our's though. Score: 10/10 My sister then wanted to ride Boo Blasters, since she loves it. As we headed towards it, we saw Drop Tower running. One of our friends really wanted to ride that after Boo Blasters, but my sister was scared to death of it, and our other friend was reluctant as well due to what had occured with the coasters. But for now we decided to do Boo Blasters. Ride #21: Boo Blasters on Boo Hill Wait: Under 5 Minutes Shockingly, I got some fun out of Boo Blasters, probably my best experience on this since it opened in 2010 besides my first ride! All the effects seemed to be working (including "Shaggy"), and apparently so was my gun because I got a personal best high score of 900! In fact, other than the issues on BLSC at the start, almost all the theming and effects related to rides was working. Good job on that Kings Island. Score: 7/10 After BBOBH, we headed to Action Zone. My sister painic'ed at the mere prospect of riding Drop Tower, and her heart rate was skyrocketing on her fitbit, so we knew she was actually really scared and let her back out. Our other friend also backed out. So it was me and one friend, who in line revealed he actually had never ridden this himself because it was always broken or he was with friends who would not ride. So I got to do it with him. Ride #22: Drop Tower (Night) Wait: 5 Minutes While this ride, due to its sheer height and concept, still makes my nervous I have found ways to distract myself and enjoy it more. I looked at other rides, the highway, etc etc. It was night now so all the rides were lighting up and it was very pretty. Before I knew it, we were 30 stories up and then...KLUNK. The actual drop doesn't bother me, it feels reliving to me in fact. A fun ride overall, my friend enjoyed it as well and was happy I did it with him. Score: 8/10 Since it was dark yet only 9:00PM (park closed at 10), we decided to ride Banshee, since it is a great night ride and was right there. Ride #23: Banshee (Night) Wait: 10 Minutes (Front Row) We waited for Front Row since that is THE row for Inverts and night rides alike. Banshee is great at daytime, but wow, at night it gets even better. The air blowing in my face was cool now, which I liked a lot more, and the awesome lights and scenery around the coaster really popped. The best ride of the day until this point! Score: 11/10! After Banshee, I pitched that we go and ride The Beast, since it is such a awesome night ride and Mystic Timbers probably had a huge (by comparison) line still. It worked and we headed over, but my sister and non-riding friend ditched as we arrived, as they wanted to see the fireworks better. Me and our other friend went and rode Beast though. Ride #24: The Beast Wait: 45 Minutes (15 minutes but fireworks delay) We still got a nice view of the Fireworks, but having recently seen the 4th of July ones from both my current home city and downtown Indianapolis, they underwhelmed a bit. But, where as now my sister and other friend were probably sitting in the car outside the park, me and my other friend got a Beast night ride. We also chatted with some other guests while waiting, and ended up entertaining them with my knowledge. Also encountered some other coaster enthusiasts who told me how awesome Cedar Point and Carowinds are, particullary Millennium Force and Fury 325. I did state I wanted to try both of those before deciding which I liked more. Then, the ride re-opened, and we rode The Beast. And wow. Mystic Timbers may be a better ride on hot, muggy days...but at night, it'll have its work cut out for it. There was no moon, so it was super dark out, and to make it more eerie all the other rides (except Mystic Timbers) were closed already so Beast was the only ride still running. This led to a super zen ride. The speed, drops, turns, and tunnels all felt longer and more intense as you could not see anything. The cool air felt great blowing on my face. The final helix was pure insanity. For me, Beast @ Night is the ultimate coaster bliss. It is gonna take some monster ride to top it. Score: 12/10! Afterwards, as the park was closing obliously, we saw the last few trains head out and then left. We made our way to the car through a closed Planet Snoopy (TBH it is a bit creepy at night with no one in it) and exited the park. We found our friends, got in the Van, and headed home after a epic day. I hope you all enjoyed this trip report. Here are my final pros+cons as usual... PROS +Incredible Roller Coasters. Kings Island has 11 "adult" coasters and I only think one of them is worse than "decent" (Invertigo- which I didn't do this trip) and the rest are all good or better. +Great staff. Everyone I ran into was friendly and nice, and the ride crews were doing great today. +Great food. What I ate was delicious, and service was fast, though there weren't any real lines to test the speed. +All Theming Working outside first ride on BLSC. On rides like Adventure Express and Boo Blasters, this helps a lot. CONS -Half of Waterpark closed due to apparent lack of staff. Since it was my first time ever, not a great first impression. And that'll do it. Another epic trip to Kings Island and I am very happy to have gone. Even the guy with us who didn't do much after Firehawk loved his time there hanging with us so much, he bought my sister a bottle of wine (she did pay for him to take us and bought his ticket though)! He does say next time he wants to try coasters again but no looping rides. I had a absolute blast myself. As usual, questions and comments welcome and thanks again for reading this HUGE trip report!

After riding Rougaru at Cedar Point this year, Vortex feels like a modern B&M. :\ I did give it a lot of hate, but if I check myself on how other steel coasters are aging and their roughness it's great. I think we are just a bit spoiled with how smooth everything is at KI.

Fun fact- both RMC conversions for CF will be the first of the RMC Iron Horse conversions to make the layout longer than the original. Which means SIX has been cheapening out.

I want them back! Snapping or no snapping, they belong at KI. The person that pulled the plug on them at PKI, and yes I know who it was, made the most inane decision in the parks history. IMO, those flyers are as historical to KI as The Racer and Carousel.

Darn, we can dream. It's a nice size kids expansion going on next year for Carowinds.

Spotted from The Beast queue ramp up to the station: Looks like we can say goodbye to Sorority House and Nightmare Alley.

Hopefully a good amount of scares!

It's a Small World was removed from Disney World. Yeah ok.

Hey Brad, dont forget about the "400 foot giga" that the incredibly informed man told you KI is building for 2013. Le sigh

When i went some lady said that The Racer was The Beast. But her husband corrected her.

A few weeks ago I was told that Vortex used to be called The Bat! I had to tell them that The Bat was a different coaster in the same location.

sorry for double posting, but I used to think one of the darnest things. When I was in second grade in 2006 when that SoB accident happened that injured 27 riders, (and when the ride had the loop) I heard a rumor that the train had just shut down in the middle of the loop, the restraints opened, and all the people fell out. Being the 7 year old I was, I actually thought it was true! I told the same thing to one of my friends a year later in third grade when she and I were talking about Kings Island a couple days after I visited on October 7, 2007. Nowadays, I know that something like that is so far-fetched, and that SoB train was highly unlikely to randomly unlock, let alone stop in its tracks (no pun intended).

Good job, Sherlock.

At Holiday World, someone called our X-Base area "Area 51." At least it was close?

On August 13th I was waiting in line for Vortex when they were running one of the trains empty due to a protein spill. A kid and her mother were behind me when the kid asked, "Why is the train empty?" The mother replied, "Because everyone fell out." At the same time I was thinking: "1. If anyone fell out the harnesses would be open, and 2. The seat belts are there. Plus, it wouldn't be safe if the train randomly unlocked, which it doesn't do."

*sigh* A YouTube comment on Coasterbob's 2012 opening day video states such: "Kings Island announced the Son Of The Beast will be torn down at the end of the season. Rumor has it that The Son Of The Beast will be turned into metal to make it smoother. But until then The Son Of The Beast is history." *sigh*

My brother asked me a week or so ago if Mean Streak had a splashdown.

More of a do darnest things- walking by the larger arcade the other day, a kid walking out of it had one of those air hockey pucks in his hand and dropped it in front of one of the game attendants running one of those race games and put it in his backpack. The attendant saw it and was like "is that a hockey puck where did you get one of those.....wait a min thats an air hockey puck". I didn't get to see if he called security on him for obviously stealing a air puck cause my kid needed to use restroom bad but i hope he did. I mean how lame is it to steal one of those.

I'll admit something stupid I said when I was younger. I was probably ten when I first joined PointBuzz. I read a lot of topics about Magnum and its "ejector seat." Little did I know that it was called that because of the airtime it provided. I told my friends Magnum actually had an ejector seat with a parachute in case of emergencies. haha

I heard a guest say on sunday at Cedar Point while i was in line for the Fred Sanford coaster(Mantis) that Dragster does 200 mph. I know when i rode it earlyer, it felt like it did. Lol.

Sorry for a double post, no one has commented today and I found a youtube video that I think needs looked at. http://www.youtube.com/embed/8ui9MmTSVA4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen> I have to wonder, why this guy didn't look up information on the park before attending...yet it's the parks fault that all this stuff "went wrong." I mean, he has internet to upload a youtube video, so why not go to www.visitkingsisland.com? It makes me kind of laugh when guests think they are entitled to so much...and to a point they are..but come on!

I use to tell people who never rode Maverick before to watch for the birds in the tunnel. I wasn't going to tell them it launched. They was like, birds? Lol.

I just felt that the Outer Limits thing was more funny than stuped. Riding Adventure Express, couple behind me: Wife: Whys they gots all dis wood? Husband: Cuz it's just there for special effex, yeh know? EDIT: ^That might've been a perverted "joke".

(Setting: The end of the line at Vortex, at the bottom of the stairs, below the sign. Girl 1, approximately 14-16 years old, runs up and gets in line behind Gator & GatorGirl.) GIRL 1: (to friend) "Come on, get in line!" GIRL 2: "I'm not waiting in that line. It's too long!" (Wait time ended up being < 10 minutes). (Girl 1 & Girl 2 continue to argue for a minute about the wait time.) GIRL 1: (to Gator and the group of 4 guys in front of him) "Can I cut you guys? I think my friends are up there." Gator turns around and gives Girl 1 a death stare, thinking to himself "Really? I just stood here and listened to you argue with your friend justifying the wait time to her, and NOW you're playing the 'my friends are already in line' card?" Before Gator has the chance to express his thoughts to Girl 1, she sees the look on his face, as well as the disapproving looks on the faces of the group in front of him, and immediately follows Girl 2 , who by that point is already on her way out of the line. Girl 1 and Girl 2 walk towards The Vortex exit, but are soon distracted by two boys around their age, with whom they immediately stop to talk and flirt. END SCENE

In line for The Beast when it is down for fireworks. Guest 1 "It's not open for the fireworks". Guest 2 "Yeah they close every ride for fireworks".

Guy looking at WindSeeker "They dont have Days of Thunder anymore?" Girl in line for Zoom Flume "I thought this was an amusement park!"

Coasterfanatic and I used our VIP passes that we won on twitter over the 4th of July. We sat on the front row of Diamondback for probably three straight rides, and a 9 year old kid asked how we got to stay on the front. Our tour guide said that we were the park's VIPs. The kid responded by asking us if we were friends with Justin Timberlake. Apparently JT's friends are VIPs in that kid's mind. It made us laugh the whole ride.

This is a combination Guests Say/Do the Darnest Things. My friend and I walk into the bathroom yesterday in Camp Snoopy across from the chicken game. We see by the urinals a woman who appears to be changing her kids' wet clothes. She looks at us and apologizes after just realizing she was in the wrong bathroom. Hello, what do you think those urinals were for? ( lol.)

Where are they getting that it was given only one chance? After the loop was removed, it operated for most of the 2007 season, all of the 2008 season and part of the 2009 season before it was closed again. In my book that should be hundreds, if not thousands, of chances.