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  1. And I have a feeling it could also be the last year in which the world knows Fury as the world's tallest coaster to feature a lift hill.
    3 points
  2. I find this rather interesting. Why? Because of the requirements that a coaster must fulfill to be granted the status of ACE Classic is that you must be allowed to pick where you sit (https://www.aceonline.org/page/Classic). Perhaps preferred seating is not as "Classic"-al as ACE makes it out to be? -- (And yes, I'm bumping this thread because OBVIOUSLY because line separation procedures that took place on The Beast over eight years ago is just sooooooo relevant right now. )
    2 points
  3. Congrats to KI and the workers on the award. The park truly has world class operations. One of the benefits when you check out other parks and see operations that are not as good is that it makes you realize how good KI is at ops.
    2 points
  4. KI's GM Mike Koontz actually at coasterstock announced that he recommended to the board of Cedar Fair to invest in a giga coaster for Kings Island so they already do realize how good of a fit a giga would be. Hopefully Cedar Fair agrees.
    2 points
  5. Question. I got “read the act” last week when I was there with my older two kids and we did single rider for Mystic. My kids are older and can both wait by themselves until we all ride and we had NO expectation that we would ride together. This lady kept telling me she drove “three hours by herself without her family to enjoy the park” at first I thought she was being nice and chatting in line. Then I realized she was “informing me” I was violating her definition of single rider. I don’t get it. If three people in front of her were total strangers or knew each other was irrelevant as she still would wait till three people were placed in front of her. She wouldn’t stop. Kept saying “I’m a single rider” finding other “ singles” to support her argument in line. No wonder she’s there without her family. They probably don’t care for her either. Didn’t really matter since when we got to the load and they went to get a single she cut in front of my son (who was really the next single) just so she could get on and I guess prove her point. Whatever, but thoughts? Should single riders really be lonely people with no friend by themselves, or are people who are together but have no expectation of riding together or sitting on the same train to be allowed?
    1 point
  6. Winterfest may be here, but it's not too late to still talk about Haunt! I promised myself I'd write this report at some point not just to document another great trip, but also to brighten the moods of any KICers who may already be experiencing the offseason blues if their favorite ride isn't operating for Winterfest. Either way, who doesn't like the joy of seeing a newly written trip report just waiting to be read?!? 'Twas the night of Friday, October 19, and my Fall Break was in full swing. My parents were out of town that weekend, leaving me home by myself with an available car. Of course, I chose to use all that spare time wisely...at Kings Island. I invited two of my friends, Margaret (one of my church friends; she has gone to KI with me three times before) and Meagan (my roommate at Cedarville U), both of whom were available to go on this night. We arrived at Kings Island just after 6pm. I knew lines were not going to be bad for most of the rides, but Meagan had never been to KI and I wanted to make sure she could ride a good number of rides, including the ones that tend to get longer lines on nights like this (especially a certain coaster that didn't have very many days left). I had renewed my Platinum Pass a few weeks earlier, so I decided to redeem my complimentary Fast Lane Plus and buy two more for my two riding buddies (I didn't mind paying, since it was not Saturday ). There was a good line to buy Fast Lane, and we waited ~15 minutes. That would happen to be our longest wait of the night. A lot of rides had short lines, but I had never used Fast Lane on any ride other than Vortex prior to this night, so it was cool getting to go through the Fast Lane lines on some of the other rides for the experience. And yes, our night would still be fun without it, but I wanted to use my complimentary Fast Lane Plus at some point and this night was my best choice for when to use it! I wanted to be sure I grabbed some pictures this time (as I didn't get any on the previous visit - October 12) and this was my first attempt. It gets better; I promise. Plus, I was attempting to take it as we were eagerly rushing to our first ride, Viking Fury! Riding Viking Fury first was Margaret's idea, as she enjoys this ride and how underrated it is. I like Viking Fury, but I was long overdue for a swing, as my last ride on it happened on August 29, 2014! And of course Meagan had never ridden it. So Viking Fury made a great first ride! We walked right on to one of the end rows. And let me tell you, Viking Fury makes a pretty fun night ride, especially on the end! Needless to say, we had fun, including Toothless (as it was his first ride on it too!). Like Margaret and me, Meagan also enjoys roller coasters. However, she prefers a more gradual transition into riding them (i.e. she'd rather not ride Diamondback first, but after she's ridden other smaller coasters then she'll do it). Conveniently enough, Viking Fury has a neighbor which for many is the ideal starting coaster, and for us was our next ride. Which ride? Adventure Express! I was excited to ride my original favorite night ride, and of course we rode in the back. The three of us had fun careening around the turns and through the pitch-black tunnels! After the ride, Meagan was ready to ride the bigger rides! Our next ride was Delirium, which was Margaret's second favorite ride! We waited two cycles before experiencing a very chilly ride! It was nice riding Delirium at night again, as I barely remember the last time I rode Delirium at night (it had definitely been a while!). Since Banshee was right next door, we we were ready to ride that next. After paying $2 for a locker, we headed through the line and rode in the back row. Zipping through the dark (and past the lights) on Banshee is definitely more fun than a daytime ride! Even though I don't ride Banshee on every trip, it's a great ride...especially at night! Like The Beast, which I prefer to ride in the rain or in the dark, I prefer to ride Banshee at night. I wouldn't mind riding it during the day, of course. We rode Banshee again, in the front this time. The chilly 68 mph wind in our faces added an exhilarating touch to our nighttime scream! We determined that our locker rental would allow us enough time to ride both Firehawk and Mystic Timbers and still make it back to the locker before the rental expired, even if it meant walking an entire lap around the park. Once we agreed on what to do, we set off toward Firehawk. Our first ride was on the yellow train. Prior to this night, I had actually never ridden Firehawk at night. In fact, Margaret and Meagan had never ridden Firehawk at night either! We had a blast on our first ever night ride on Firehawk. We all loved flying through the dark and upside down five times! We loved it so much that we rode a second time! This time, we ended up on the Red train, so I got some good (attempts at) night pictures of the ride. Our next stop was Mystic Timbers, as we had enough time left in our locker rental to ride it two times as well! As we passed Vortex, it began to rain... ...and we walked through my now-favorite scare zone, Pumpkin Eater! I wasn't sure how I would react to the scareactors, but I found out how when I said "hello" to every scareactor I saw and laughed in response to their scaring me. I actually loved it! I was never a big fan of Haunt, but I must admit that it is starting to grow on me. Maybe next year I will finally muster the courage to brave one of the mazes... On to Mystic Timbers! I took a break from taking pictures, for my non-waterproof camera's sake. Our two rides made me appreciate my rain jacket A LOT. I had not ridden Mystic Timbers in the rain since August 15, and I had never ridden it in the rain AT NIGHT before! It goes without saying that they were the CRAZIEST rides I have ever had on Mystic Timbers!!! The ride was insane and I had to keep my eyes closed as we were jostled side to side and up and down as we careened through the woods!! Our first ride on Mystic Timbers would be Margaret's last ride for the night. She loved it, but since we were now fairly wet (and a bit cold), she decided to sit out on the rest of the rides which Meagan and I would ride for the rest of the time (it was around 10 at this point and we planned to leave at 11) and she was completely fine with waiting for Meagan and me while we rode. After another watery truck ride through the woods of Rivertown, we walked back to Action Zone and retrieved our locker contents. Yes, we had just made a lap around the park just to make the most of a locker rental. Yay! It's probably a good thing Margaret sat out on our next ride... ...Diamondback! In the back! We put the "back" in "Diamondback" by riding in my favorite row, 16 (a.k.a. the back ). Not long after we took our back seats, a cold, wet, and ejector-airtime-filled ride followed. And before you ask, I did NOT dare stick my hand back during the splashdown (I normally do, but that's normally during the summer!). I just looked at the water instead. Since it had just rained (and it was still drizzling at this point), I knew we had to seize the chance to ride The Beast. I already know how fun The Beast is in the rain or at night, but I had yet to experience The Beast's wrath in BOTH conditions (much like how on the previous Friday, October 12, was the first time I ever rode Vortex in the cold, rain AND dark!) so Meagan and I were pretty hyped as we boarded my favorite row, 17. One long lift climb later, we were pulled over and down we went into the darkness for what would be one of the best, if not the best ride I have had to date on The Beast! The woods and the surrounding tunnels were pitch black and all I could do was helplessly enjoy the ride as everything sped by at 65 mph! Another EPIC ride at the mercy of The Beast (happy early 40th anniversary!)! Earlier, when approaching The Beast, I noticed this part of the park was quieter than usual. Indeed, Vortex had gone down for the rain while we were at Mystic Timbers, but it had gone back up by the time our Beast-tastic nature hike (er, ride) concluded. Perfect timing, because we were just now getting to it, we didn't have much time left, and I really wanted Meagan to get a chance to finally experience the ride I always talk about (she is my roommate, after all, so she is well aware of my Vortex adventures). We headed back through Pumpkin Eater and hopped right in line for Vortex. There was a small station wait, so Meagan took her first ever Vortex ride with me in 6-2! I told her everything she needed to know and before I knew it, we had already reached the 148-foot summit and plunged into the darkness! We laughed and twirled our way through the night as our Vortex train hauled us through its course one element after another. When we disembarked, I asked for her verdict and she said it was good! She enjoyed it! Last but not least, we had just enough time for a cold, post-rain night flight on WindSeeker! We bundled up and clutched Toothless close as "Flying" began to play and the 64-seat hub lifted us up to 256 feet in the air. As I said, it was cold, but the view of a fog-shrouded Kings Island and the surrounding area proved no less spectacular! After safely landing three minutes later, it was time for us to head out. We were cold and still a little wet from the rain, but we were happy that we got to experience this fun night at Haunt together! Meagan and Margaret loved their #FirehawkFinalFlights! Margaret said that Delirium will inherit her "favorite ride" title from Firehawk. Good choice. +Viking Fury: 1 Total: 4 (I really need to ride this more...it's underrated!) +Adventure Express: 1 YTD: 8 Total: 63 +Delirium: 1 YTD: 4 Total: 27 +Banshee: 2 YTD: 5 Total: 30 +Firehawk: 2 YTD: 6 Total: 23 +Mystic Timbers: 2 YTD: 5 Total: 28 +Diamondback: 1 YTD: 9 Total: 118 +The Beast: 1 YTD: 4 Total: 20 +Vortex: 1 YTD: 155 1/3 Total: 648 1/3 +WindSeeker: 1 YTD: 32 Total: 151
    1 point
  7. To the list mentioned there was also technically Scooby's Ghoster Coaster in 1998, but that's not really relevant anyway as it made by 'Pinfari'. Yep, there was a coaster manufacturer called 'Pinfari'. EDIT: Sorry for the double post. My mistake. I thought I was in the edit mode for the post above.
    1 point
  8. That wouldn't make sense with fewer rides open. They would be better off with just one line.
    1 point
  9. I think its more a matter of being practical to not do Fast Lane for Winterfest than anything else. Rides aren't really the main feature, thus, its not necessarily the best use of a Fast Lane program.
    1 point
  10. I've heard some on here regard the Lindner era as the lowpoint of Kings Island's history. A lowpoint which very well could have doomed the park for good... So if anything, even though Paramount was by no means perfect, I'm just thankful they purchased the park when they did. And as others have noted, who knows how the Paramount days would have gone had Viacom not purchased it so early on. (As a brief side-question, to anyone who was around back then and knows... What was it exactly that the Lindner/Great American ownership did that was "dooming the park"?) I'm not trying to refute your claim or anything. I would just like to know... Because on the bright side, they did bring us AE and what was later themed as Top Gun, which I think the vast majority of us would agree were positive additions...but there's probably more to the story than that...
    1 point
  11. @BeastForever I hope we get nationally recognized for it too. Kings Island has one of the most underrated coaster lineups and I feel that the park doesn't get recognized for them as much as they should.
    1 point
  12. I would say it is a one day park if you are going on a non-Saturday. If you want to hit every coaster, try and do a Sunday or thru the week. The three B&Ms all have good capacity but I found their ops to be lacking on their other rides so that could slow things especially on a Saturday.
    1 point
  13. When my family and I went to Kings Island in October I entered the Lykins Energy Solutions with my phone in which you could win a V.I.P. Tree Lighting Experience At Kings Island, and today I got a message saying that I won! I’m so excited I just got talking to them on the phone and Cedar Fair will be contacting me shortly I’m so excited! https://www.visitkingsisland.com/legal/lykins-energy-solutions-sweepstakes
    1 point
  14. We will! I will also give KICentral a shout-out as well!
    1 point
  15. I'm sure you know more about these policies than the professionals who set them. For real though. The point of no rerides is to ensure guests are taking the appropriate recovery time between rides. Kinda like adult swims at pools.
    1 point
  16. I have had Zen rides but never a Zen dining experience until tonight
    1 point
  17. Yeah... if you get hurt walking/running it's your own fault. If you exacerbate an unknown pre-existing condition because of multiple rides in a row it could become the parks issue.
    1 point
  18. I just feel like the victims of Son of Beast get glossed over too much when it comes to those who constantly bring up positives without acknowledging the negatives. I'm not saying to not talk about it, I'm just suggesting people be more comprehensive when discussing it. For all the talk about how much it was an 'engineering marvel', it still that led to a few dozen people being sent to hospitals, many of whom may never and/or be unable to ride a coaster again. I don't give it that kind of credit when clearly it didn't do what it was designed to do in a safe manner. Well designed things don't have those kinds of problems.
    1 point
  19. Haha holy crap! Can’t believe they picked this up. Kinda flattered. John Matarese seems like a big coaster nut, and I love it. Really like seeing the depth he’s going into regarding KI coaster projects, and I can’t wait to see him report on the official announcement of whatever ends up coming. Been kinda shocked at the reception to the concept I made. Glad people like it and happy to see it making the rounds. Hoping KI realizes how badly they need a giga. I realize all future plans are probably pretty cemented by now and I’d feel kinda bad if it turns out to be a dive coaster and I whipped all the unwitting GP into a frenzy for nothing... He addressed that it was fan made in the article. yeah the title is clickbaity but that’s what gets the views. I don’t think it’s a bad thing at all. If anything it should be showing KI just how badly everyone wants a giga. In a perfect world it would be nice if the rumor buzz was so relentless that building anything but a giga would be a mistake. Lol I’ve been getting some mild flame in the comments on YouTube for nit picky stuff people don’t like about it. Not really mad since that’s my first legit finished No Limits coaster. I’ve always been trash at it until I decided to really put the hours in for this one. That said, there are some buttmad enthusiasts in the comments that should just pony up and build something better if they don’t like what I’ve laid down. Also still don’t care what anyone says, a coaster that doesn’t break 400 foot height isn’t a strata even if the drop is strata length don’t @ me
    1 point
  20. 1 point
  21. I'd like to see the outside of the Festhaus brought back to what it used to look like. It looked very nice.
    1 point
  22. And that is not without precedent at Cedar Fair. Carowinds did a Great Carolina Fest this past year that featured food from the Carolinas. Knott`s also does their Boysenberry festival. I could see KI doing something similar. Remember the focus of late has been on having special events throughout the season that spark a sense of urgency to visit the park (thus increasing visits and the odds that pass holders will spend money inside of the parks).
    1 point
  23. More themeing to the German heritage would be nice in that area of the park. I do not see a dedicated restaurant for German food like Goetta personally. Not when you got Larosa's flying off the counter. What would be nice though, is a weeks German festival and open an extra line in Oktoberfest for German food!
    1 point
  24. And if no one does recognize you...you won’t be...that’s kinda surreal.
    1 point
  25. Holly smokes, y'all should have seen it when google had Banshee as "Banshaperio"
    1 point
  26. Actually, they are renaming Banshee "Bananarama" and replacing the lift hill scream with strange voices. What will they say? Things you can't understand.
    1 point
  27. Yeah and those names are trash too
    1 point
  28. I really hope not because I got the word "Diamondback" tattooed on my arm so I hope they don't change it.
    1 point
  29. Got ya... The Banshee one was confusing, but I could see the park giving a nod to history with changing Diamondback to King Chaos as a nod to King Cobra.
    1 point
  30. This is something that has been going around... look at other parks. People are doing it as a joke. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    1 point
  31. Tickets for next year's Winter Chill Out at Cedar Point on February 23, 2019 are on sale now, earlier than ever. The cost is $50 per participant, with all proceeds benefiting A Kid Again. Everyone gets a multi-hour behind-the-scenes tour of the park (including the new-for-2019 Forbidden Frontier), exclusive Q&A session, hot lunch, and other surprises. The event sells out every year, so purchase soon, especially if you want a specific timeslot. @acole5292 , @pianoman, @chugh43 and I just purchased tickets to the 9:30am tour. Who else is attending this year?
    1 point
  32. I saw that this thread was the latest and got excited. Darn.
    1 point
  33. Bubba Gumps Shrimp Shack, had good food, an fyi it's named after the character from Forest Gump which is a Viacom/Paramount film, that restaurant was the first in the park to introduce the Coke Freestyle machine. It also brought in lots of money for the slingshot which I worked when Bubba Gumps was there, the people used to gather to watch it under their shelter and feed the fish. The building at one time was home to an injured herron crane, that lived on the roof of the building, the bird had a broken wing, when it swooped down to eat fish and circle the Viking Fury it was funny, people would get worried/scared that it would dive-bomb them.
    1 point
  34. Or a new skyride station. I wonder if a straight line were tracked from the station south, where would it end up?
    1 point
  35. @VortexBFForever When did it become “The Vortex”?
    1 point
  36. I have a feeling 2019 will be the last year of Diamondback being the Tallest, Fastest, Coaster to ever strike Kings Island. Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
    1 point
  37. Here's the way I see it, I consider Cedar Point and Kings Island the top 2 in the chain as a whole and I'm not the only one- there's a couple of online polls that rank Kings Island as the second best Cedar Fair park overall. A rough comparison but I see Cedar Point as the Magic Mountain of the chain while Kings Island is Great Adventure.
    1 point
  38. Mystic Timber's airtime should put it firmly in the "thrill ride" category, though its 48" height requirement will make it accessible to more of the family than Diamondback or Banshee.
    1 point
  39. Ok, so I'm a bit off topic. But what really BUGS me is that horrible 5-song rotation plying in the park this year. I would rather listen to someone drag their fingernails across a chalk board than to some of these. Every time I hear a Sam Smith song I want to throw rocks at the speakers. Oh, and the 'work ethic' of a lot employees it seems this year...
    1 point
  40. Why? There is no point. It serves no purpose except to aggravate people. Someone will get hurt one day running all the way around (for no reason) then where will they be?
    0 points
  41. I dont want to be impolite and not respond, but I've said all that I will on the subject. @139Signal27 What is this Oktoberfest "theming" that you speak of? A food court called Festhaus and a tucked away viking ship ride?
    0 points
  42. I was just looking at Google, and saw something very interesting. I've taken a screen snip to post here of what I saw, but either the Google machine has something wrong, or names are changing on rides in the coming season....
    0 points
  43. And until I was in college, NO coaster anywhere I'd ever been ever let you pick where you sat. Even as recently as the late 1990's, Riverside Park (now Six Flags New England) told you where you were going to sit on the Riverside Cyclone. You had ZERO choice. And if you didn't like it, you could leave. Period. A very violent coaster it was then, with Morgan trains. And if grandma ended up with a wheel seat, Grandma had two choices...ride or leave. She wasn't even allowed to switch seats with her able bodied grandson in front of her. If she was caught doing so, both her and grandson would be ejected from the park.
    0 points
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