Ashers

Really great pictures, everyone! DiamondbackFOF-thanks for the compliment...I love that shot too! For some reason almost every pic I took that day came out really well! Angie, I can't believe you took that pic with a cell phone. If you can capture that kind of a pic on a cell phone, I can't wait to see what you will capture with your actual camera! Dare-to-fly, that has to be one of the best pictures of The Beast that I have ever seen! TopGun, awesome pics as usual. I am in love with that Delirium picture. The pic of the Eifel Tower with the sun in the background is really great too. UncleHenry, that is a great pic of FOF...what settings did you use to get that? Bavarian Beetle...that is an amazing picture of Vortex. The angle is great, and most people don't attempt to take pics from that side! I love how everyone gets a unique shot, even though we are all taking pictures of the exact same things. Thank you all for posting! ~Ash

Those are awesome pictures, guys!! Love them! Kyle-the Kings Island entrance pic is definitely one of my favorites that you've taken...the Octoberfest pic was really great too. Angie-love the skewed view of Drop Tower-can't wait to ride that baby! That's a really good angle you got for The Vortex picture too....were you kneeling down to get that shot? Just wondered because whenever I try to get a pic of that spot I can't quite get as much of the track in the background as you did. Thanks you guys for posting those! ~Ash

Has that little gazebo always been there?? ~Ash

LOL!! Yeah I love the new angles too. It'll be nice to be able to click on the webcam before you go to KI, just to maybe check out the weather or see how crowded it looks! I hope it stays on THE Diamondback, The RacerS, and The Vortex too. :D ~Ash

I know we probably don't need any help with getting excited for opening day, but I thought it would be fun to post our favorite pics of Kings Island just to get us all in the mood for April 18th. I would love if it were all pictures that you have taken personally. Maybe it will give us a way to make the next 2 weeks go by faster. Try and pick your top 3 favorites, and post them here! Here are mine: I just love the way the weather looked that day, so pretty. This one is just cool because of those scary clouds rolling in! SOB was pretty angry that day I think this is just a pretty cool pic of Invertigo! Can't wait to see your pics! ~Ash

I just had fun sitting back and reading everything that everyone had to say on here about it. It's funny to go back and read the originial rumour topics...people were always like "NO, there isn't enough space there, you're wrong..blahblahblah." So funny. I had fun when the teaser signs were posted on the fence and everyone was going crazy trying to decipher the clues. I don't know where time goes! But it definitely goes a LOT faster the older you get. Except, of course, when you are waiting for a certain date in April to get here. ~Ash

I've seen him! He's so cute! And I would HATE if the supports of Vortex were painted black. Needs to stay blue and orange, for sure. ~Ash

Thanks for posting that video, kjkjkj! It seems like just a couple of days ago that we were all watching that video, anticipating opening day of last year! I can't believe it was that long ago already! It's crazy to look at the construction zone....look how far everything has come in such a short time. And I still LOL when she says..."is it a theater, a new restaurant?" Hahaha! I just remember how crazy we were all going at this time last year trying to figure out what Diamondback was going to be like, or what it would be named. And here we are, just a few weeks away from getting to ride it! ~Ash

I agree! Last season it seemed like the line jumping was worse than any other time. I don't know if it was just a bad day, but the one day we were there we got blatantly line jumped on EVERY single ride we went on. My mom finally yelled at a few of the people....it was just so annoying. The worst time was when we were in line for FOF....we had to wait through the entire outside queue line, and this kid was standing right by the entrance where you go inside the building...just standing there outside of the railing. Then he stands on it, motions to a kid all the way at the back and he walks up there and they both just cut in line right in front of us after we had waited all that time. Seriously, where do people get off being so rude? I mean I have stood in line for hours and had to pee so bad that I thought I wouldn't make it and I *still* never got out of line. I don't understand some people. ~Ash

Haahhahahaha! That weave drives me NUTS every time I see it....and there are like scarves or something hanging from the trees too. So annyoing. The paing job looks amazing though! I guess you don't really notice how faded it is until they repaint it, because I never thought Vortex looked that bad. But it looks great now, can't wait to ride it! ~Ash

I hadn't heard about that yet! I need to go back there...I haven't been to Coney Island in years. Maybe this summer I will go back! ~Ash

The new pictures look great!! I love the picture of the splashdown...that area really looks so nice. Just look at it compared to one of the first construction pics when it's a giant mudhole! I can't wait to see all of the new changes to the park on opening day. I probably won't even recognize it! ~Ash

Wow, I guess I never realized how much unused space is there until you just outlined it all in red, TG! That would be awesome if they would bring in some old flat rides to put in those spots....start restoring Coney Mall so that it resembles its younger glory days! Now if only they could get the Flying Eagles back.... ~Ash

Thanks for posting those pictures for me, dare-to-fly! It is very sad to see the park in that condition....it's like it's just sitting there waiting for someone to come in and enjoy all of the rides and have fun! I really miss going to that place. ~Ash

Last season...I think it was actually on Mother's Day my brother, my mom and I went and it was pouring down rain most of the day. Most people ran for the exit, but we stayed and just walked around in the rain....people were staring at us like we were idiots! But we had a marathon on WWC, and it was so much fun. FOF was still open but the line was really long because that was one of the only rides open. I do remember getting caught in the rain on SOB last year, and that definitely hurt....lol. That same day on Mother's Day we rode Slingshot too, and it was kind of torturous to be laying on your back the entire time they are getting ready to launch you...but it was still fun. Like angrybeaver said, I love days when it rains for just a little bit...long enough to clear everyone out so you get the whole park to yourself! ~Ash

Did you post any of the pics you took of it? I read your trip report, but didn't see them in there! Yeah, I loved that ride so much. Thinking of it just brings back so many great memories of when I was little. And even though it's been so long since I've ridden it, I can still remember flying out of my seat and screaming at the top of my lungs...it was so much fun. Do you have your POV from that posted anywhere, or would you be willing to share it with me? ~Ash

Wow, what a beautiful video! What I wouldn't give to spend just one day in the Coney Island from that video. When I was little my dad's company picnic was held at CI every summer. I remember riding The Whip about a million times in a row every time we went. Sunlite pool was always great too. Everything just looked so clean and pretty in the video...and I loved the landscaping and theming. Thanks for sharing that with us! ~Ash

^That's what my brother and I were talking about today, BavarianBeetle. It sounds kind of weird to say...but maybe they are just focusing all of their attention back there, since so many people will be back there for DB. And then they're just leaving poor Flight Deck back in the corner to rust. It's like the neglected red headed stepchild...lol. ~Ash

I don't have any information to where I could speculate that Flight Deck is leaving any time soon, but I do agree with you....I definitely think Flight Deck needed some major TLC over Vortex. It is very sad to see it rusting away! I wonder why they did choose to repaint Vortex, and not FD. ~Ash

My first looping coaster was Vortex either in 95 or 96. It was the first 'big' coaster I ever rode at KI, too! Before that I had only been on The Screechin Eagle and The Serpent at Americana, and The Beastie when I was really young! I really wish I could take one more ride on The Screechin' Eagle...*sigh*. ~Ash

I'm just laughing because the Diamondback construction thread has turned into a discussion about Fabio and geese We only have a couple more weeks to go, we can do it!

I think Interpreter was referring to the amount of space that said goose needed to land on, not the actual location of the landing!

I think it's awesome that KI is doing that! I agree with Angie on this one....some of you guys are really spoiled if the first thing you blurt out is 'the shirt looks cheap'. Not, 'wow, can't wait to get my free Diamondback t-shirt, thanks KI for doing this for us when you could EASILY slap a pricetag on them and sell them in the gift shop...". If you guys think it looks so cheap, then I honestly hope you skip out and don't pick yours up if you ARE one of the first riders on Diamondback. Ugh, some people really amaze me. People get something for FREE and yet still feel the need to complain. Grrr. Anyway, I think that's great....thanks KI! ~Ash

You could be right but unfortunately we don't have the technology to prove your theory ahead of time. So we will just have to start a running tally of weekends while we wait for Diamond back to open. If its Saturday and Diamondback has not opened then add another hash mark to the running tally you have started. When Diamondback does in fact open you can then reference your tally and if it totals two weekends then we will know if in fact that at the time this thread was started that there was indeed only two weekends until Diamondback opens. For the record I hope its only one weekend but only time will tell... Ha! I don't think it's right for me to read this post at 1:00 in the morning....it's making my brain hurt. :| ~Ash

That's awesome, Angie...I didn't know you were going to be a 'first rider'! Congrats! I was so upset when I started working Saturdays, because at first I would have had to work opening day from 1-6pm, but my 'every other Saturday' schedule got reversed, so now I'm off that day, and I am SO excited. I was trying not to get my hopes up at first because before I thought I would only be able to go to KI for a couple of hours, but now I get to be there as soon as the park opens. To tell you the truth, I haven't ridden a brand new ride on its opening day since TR:TR came out. I'm pumped! Oh, and are you as excited as I am to finally get a Drop Tower fix?? ~Ash