OhioChris

My bad, I guess I hadn't checked in a couple days.

Webcams are missing from Kings Island's website...

Even though it means taking two days off work, I plan to be there Media Day and Opening Day! My sons will be there Media Day, too, and the whole gang will be there Opening Day.

I'm guessing it is dirt washed over from the torrential rains last night. Though I would love to see that thing gone, as well.

I've gotten a receipt every time I've gone, but never told to hold onto it for re-entry. And Terp - No, it does not make any sense at all.

The only rides allowing on-ride photography are KI&MV RR and the Eiffel Tower. Who said it had to be while riding? lol I got a pic once while my daughter was loading...

Couldn't resist: (yes, it is my own picture) OK, current Viking Fury: Easy: Snoopy Boutique Hard: Interior of a Woodstock Whirlybird

^The platform you are wondering about was once used as a train stop for kids to go to the "Pumpkin Patch" which was in the fenced-in area.

Terp, I do believe that reference may be way above the heads of the youngsters here.

I apparently went 8 times, though it seems my first visit never got counted on Fun Perks, so possibly nine, lol. Next summer, I hope to make it there about double that.

Well, I'll be! I didn't notice the rocket ships, SonofBaconator! This is from the map currently online, the cars look like rockets, and they're going the wrong way. Interesting.

I just hope Vortex is around long enough for my 3-year-old daughter to ride it. Every time we went to KI this summer she asked if she was tall enough to ride the "loopty-loop" yet. She really wants to ride it! She just hit 40 inches early in the season, so I don't expect her to hit the 48 inch mark until at least the 2014 season, and that's wishful thinking. I want her to be able to experience one of my favorite rides. :-)

Ya know what I miss in the area in the picture? The campground. I'd love to see a nice, family-friendly campground go in. Of course, they'd need more room than what SoB offers...

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say the information in the signature editing area is more current and accurate. A large part of this belief comes from this line in the ToS: " Large signatures are not dial up friendly and are quite annoying." Although dial-up isn't quite dead, it is becoming more rare by the day.

Well, anyone who's read the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series knows this answer. It's 42.

It is sad to know the Island is closed again. I wasn't able to make a final trip on closing day. However, I already have passes purchased for me, SammiGirl, and my 12-year-old son. So I will likely be there opening day! As for what to expect in the off season? Hard to tell. Some general upkeep/improvements. Hard to say what the plans are for the land currently being cleared. Perhaps we'll have some word soon... [EDIT] fixed a typo

Sometimes I read these forums and just have to shake my head in disbelief, lol. Anyway, as to this particular discussion's topic: I imagine minor improvements park-wide. Obviously SOB will be long-gone. Will they immediately do something with the land? I don't know. IF they do, you can be certain they started the planning of it prior to any announcements regarding the removal of SOB. I could imagine that land would be developed over the next year and half and we could see something new (maybe even new area?) in 2014. This is just speculation, while trying to be realistic. One thing is for certain, we will know for sure only when the park announces it.

^ Hmmm Kings Island pre-WindSeeker, lol. Edit: My bad, WindSeeker is there, lol.

OK, here's my weigh-in. Perhaps it's the nostalgia of childhood memories, but I LOVED the park in its early years, when owned by Taft. Probably because I was still rather young, I didn't notice too much difference when KECO took over. I do remember for a short time, before Paramount (the Linder years) that it was a kind of dull, run-of-the-mill experience. I will admit I was impressed at first when Paramount came in, though that feeling was rather short-lived. The new rides were great, though the Hollywood theming (what there was of it) grew tired quickly, at least for me. I've mentioned before my dislike (almost downright hatred) for all the cement in Action Zone. I would love to see them tear some of that out and expand Oktoberfest again, that was a nicely themed (if smaller) area. Cbs owned the parks for about a year, and in that time it was obvious a company owned the park that had no desire to own any amusement parks. Back in mid-2006, I was THRILLED to hear Cedar Fair was buying the park. I knew they would take better care of the park, bring the Peanuts to the park (love that!), and keep it much cleaner. (I'm still hoping, most likely futilely, we get Pepsi at some point, lol) I'm already splitting the Cedar Fair years into the Kinzel and the Ouimet eras, lol. While I like a lot of what Ouimet has done and has said he wants to do, there are a few things that I'm not so fond of. But you'll have that with any owner/CEO/manager. So, to sum up my long-winded responce, Taft is first on my list. Cedar Fair a very close second.

From my little town of Waverly, Ohio, I can typically make it in less than an hour and a half. But as we tend to stop to grab a bite to eat on the way, it is usually closer to the hour and a half mark.

I've never really kept count. Though I'd have to say it would be a close race between Raptor and Millennium Force (I worked at CP in 2000, the summer Millie debuted). Close 3rd and 4th would be Beast and Vortex. If this were an individual ride poll (not just coasters), it would easily be Power Tower, as that was the ride I was operator on in 2000. I put on too much weight over the past few years so riding coasters has been challenging if not impossible. But my 3-year-old daughter is a rider. She and I have ridden Woodstock Express 6 times this year since she hit the 40 inch mark in late June. And yesterday I rode Adventure Express with my 12-year-old son. So my official coaster count for 2012? -Woodstock Express: 6 -Adventure Express: 1 So, so sad. Though I plan to attempt to squeeze onto The Beast after midnight very very soon!

I got some pics from the Eiffel Tower yesterday too, but (no surprise) they are very similar to what's been posted already. I'll be visiting at least a couple more times before the end of season, so I'll try to get some on each visit.

First, reading some of these posts makes me feel so old, lol. I grew up with a father who loved roller coasters. I, however hated them until I was 10 or 11. My first was the Scooby Doo (Beastie, Fairly Odd Coaster, Woodstock Express),when I was 4, and as a youngster I was forced onto all the coasters by my dad. The one coaster he never got me on (and I seriously regret this now) was The Bat. My first looper was Screamin' Demon (later, just Demon). I got the fever when we went to Geauga Lake and Sea World and I rode the Double Loop. Once I rode it, I was hooked. My oldest didn't like coasters until he rode Vortex, then he became a rider. My middle child is not much of a rider, though he keeps saying he will ride. Surprisingly, something always comes up. My 3-year-old daughter is a rider. She finally got to ride Woodstock Express. took her front seat for her first ride. She LOVED it. She would ride it over and over again if she could. She also very badly wants to ride the "loopty-loop" (Vortex). She just has 8 more inches to grow, lol.

Glad you guys like the pics! I really wish my dad had taken more when we went when I was a kid, but he was a rider through and through and since his cameras were the bigger SLR cameras, he wouldn't trust leaving them when riding, so he rarely took them.

I miss the theming and landscaping as well. That area was beautiful. And whether you like Paramount or not, I didn't like them cementing over that entire area. We lost some beautiful land with that. As for the trees, all of the trees in this year's picture were there in 1982, just 30 years younger. If all the trees from 1982 were still there, it would be even more full of green. And I'm glad you're all enjoying the pic, I was so excited when I found it, because of the stark contrast between then and now. [Edit] Okay, the trees beside Festhaus, replacing the Ferris Wheel, are not in the 1982 picture, lol. But were likely planted upon the removal of the Ferris Wheel at the end of the 1990 season. Wow, I had no idea the Ferris Wheel was there so long...