sheikra_rocks

http://rcdb.com/784.htm?p=8588 In this pic it looks like the seats are reclined back enough so the feet don't touch. It also appears that they just filled in the center with only the space where the wheel on the bottom of the car runs through the trough. I think it would be awesome.

Unless a miracle happens, SOB will not open anytime soon. If I owned a company, I would not want my name associated with the failure that is SOB. If they give it a Gemini make over..... Arrow steel coaster track with wooden structure..... We would have 2 very awesome Hypers. Not to mention, 2 of the fastest in Ohio.

Perks are few and far between.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. They need to make it floorless, as well as new paint. It would bring new life to the ride.

In response to the Diamondback pph of 1600.... I have been there when they have gotten well over that count. So it is very possible. As far as Firehawk is concerned, you guys can have it. I will stick to ridding Diamondback.

"Universal's Kings Island" does have a nice ring to it.

It is a machine, they break down from time to time.

Prices at KI are terrible! For the few years that I have been going to KI, drink refills have been...........$1.99 ...... or $.99 for Gold, but that stopped after 2005 for some stupid unknown reason. When I went to Busch Gardens Tampa last summer, drink refills were........... $.99 2 weeks ago when I went to Universal Orlando, drink refills were...................$.79 or $.89 There is NO EXCUSE for Cedar Fair to have prices so high. There aren't enough pass perks either. They are making a bad situation worse.

Don't get me started on rain mode. It is one of the stupidest things anyone has ever come up with. I have seen SheiKra run 5 trains during the rain. There is no reason for that. It just suggests to me that they don't trust THEIR maintenance crew who takes care of the ride much.

After riding it a second time, i noticed that there is way too much "dead space" in the ride where there isn't anything happening.

We tried meet ups before and they never work. I was never invited for the meet up. I think there should be ERT at Diamondback for Gold and Platinum pass holders until 1 am. I wonder if we can all fill up one full Diamondback train with ourselves and significant others. Do you think we would have enough to fill a full train? That would be a riot! Don't spread the word too much, we don't want to wait in a long line for our favorite rides.

http://www.coasterdynamix.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.browse&category_id=3&Itemid=54

Indeed, they are in fact selling those Scorpion models by CoasterDynamix. They were available at the park for the same price as on the CoasterDynamix website. Now that the inverted trains are being remolded, I believe there is a LIMITED supply of these models at KI. Suggestion, buy a Diamondback statix, a Phoenix model from CoasterDynamix, switch the wheels from the Phoenix train to the Diamondback train and take out the inversions on the Phoenix and you have a working Diamondback themed model.

The Simpson's Ride was without a doubt, 100% hysterical from beginning to end. It was kind of weird going into that building without all the gadgets and gizmo of the former Back To The Future ride. You are selected as well as the Simpson family to be the first to experience a new ride at Krustyland. 8 people are ushered into a room where you get the "how to" spiel from one of the characters. The doors open and you climb into the ride vehicle. Lapbars are checked then the doors are lowered and secured. The ride begins. Throughout the ride I noticed references to other theme park rides as well as other parks. There is reference to the E.T. ride vehicles, P Fliers at IOA. There is a reference to Sea World. The ride is more interactive than the former ride. The ride settles back down into the loading bay, and Krusty has the last laugh. Action - 10/10 Film - 10/10 Humor - Side splitting Wait for a Tuesday - 25 minutes

The log flume was in fact open on opening day. I noticed several boats come down the drop with guests. The Reptar formerly known as Runaway vallied in a morning test run.

Revenge Of The Mummy was better than I thought. However, I only rode once. I will try to get everything I can remember. I mentioned Kongfrontation in the first post. Mummy now occupies the former Kong building, the only part I recognized was the exit ramp. So, we are in line for the front row as our car pulls up. The cars are like Congo Falls boats. 4 to a row and about 5 or 6 rows. It is a Premiere Rides coaster, like Flight of Fear. So the track looked very similar. Looks are deceiving, I thought it was going to be hard to get into the car like on some of our coasters at KI, but we got in without problems. The lap bars are EXACTLY like BLSC and FOF. I said, "I feel like I'm at home." Got the thumbs up and we are advanced forward. Now, this ride has a dual load station. As we moved forward the switch track was still set for the other side. We got closer and closer to the end. I said to my partner that I hope it stopped. We did a split second afterward. Only long enough for the car ahead of us to advance to the next block. Off we went. We snaked around a few scenes, and we were warned that we all were doomed or something. I noticed the car speeding up and slowing down during certain scenes. This added to the experience. We rounded a right hand turn, and noticed the wall closing, getting closer and closer. We drop about 3 feet, barely escaping the closing wall. The drop caught me by surprise. After a quick unbank turn to the left, we are heading right toward a wall. I was expecting the wall to raise and we would drop or something. The ceiling started to catch fire, and on the wall in front of us millions of scarab beetles came out of the cracks and ran down to the side of the car. (One thing that would make this effect 100% better would be air blowing on the legs of the passengers.) The car begins to roll backward, we drop about 5 feet and stop. The car begins to turn 180degrees. We were then launched up hill, at the top, a nice little pop of ejector air. Lots of twisting, turning, and small pops of air here and there. We come up to a block brake, and pause for a moment, show effects happen, then we drop into more turns and small airtime. Finally we escape the wrath of the Mummy, and exit down the former Kong exit ramp. Coaster 10/10 Show 6/10 I would have rated it better, but it is kind of hard to hear with all the noise of the coaster. It was hard for me to get into the story because of the noise. Wait time - 20 minutes Simpson's ride review coming soon...............

Did you see the Topic name? I already have ridden Mummy. I will upload tomorrow. My motto is "Front row or no go."

Well first of all, I have to just mention that the park looks better and better each time I visit. The last time I went to Universal Studios, Kongfrontation was closing later in the week. (Just to give you an idea of the time frame since last time I visited.) My partner and I head to Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit when we enter the park. 20 minute wait time posted. The queue is HUGE! Music is blaring, and the traditional instructional video is playing. The video was very informative, and showed you how to choose your song. Before we knew it, 10 minutes had passed and we reached the loading platform... 10 minute wait! Asked if we could sit in the front. We get sent to the loading area first then 5 other couples followed suit. The first awesome thing that I noticed was the MOVING loading platform that ran parallel with the trains on each side. We were then ushered to our row, and the lap bars were placed around us. Remembering the instructional video downstairs saying you had 30 seconds to choose a song, I immediately went to Country. I only knew one song, "Devil Went Down To Georgia". Now, once the train passes the overhead control room, the song locks in. I just locked it in myself. Our train of 2 cars with 3 rows of 2 stadium style seats paused for a moment until the train ahead.... above us cleared the lift, then we advanced forward. Climbing the lift was cool with Charlie Daniels blaring in my ear, but that is pretty much the only place I heard the music. Once we dropped, I was all about the coaster. The first element was the non inverting loop. To my surprise, it was a pretty cool maneuver. I sat on the left side, so there was a little air during the twist at the top of the loop. Right after the loop, a block brake. The climb to the top of this brake was steep with a sharp down bend to level us out. Nice ejector! Then another drop. At the bottom the train flies through the Twister building, then spirals up with a steeply banked turn into a nice drop. Then up into another block brake, and once again the climb into it ejects us as we level off. On the run back past the station, there is a nice nearly 90 degree bank turn over the entrance. Then up into another block, airtime just as before! We dropped for some ground level runs with a small airtime hill, then a leaning loop / turn. G - FORCE HEAVEN! This turn was awesome, then up into the last block with more air. Then we drop off of it, at the bottom a nice little bunny hop, then into the final brake run with what i think is the best air on the entire ride. He ended up riding it 3 times with me, I went twice more alone. All rides were in the front row. I waited in the main line each time because it moved faster than single riders. I passed the same person in the single rider line TWICE after waiting 20 minutes in the main line for each of my rides by myself. Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit is my favorite of 2010 so far... I rate it 10/10 The other song I used for my other 4 rides was "That's The Way I Like It" That is it for now. I will post about the other two tomorrow.

If you are asked about your Diamondback first rider shirt at another park, and you then explain everything there is to know about KI......... ........ you might be a KI addict. Didn't really happen to me..... Just thought about it because someone asked my today if Diamondback was new at Universal!.....LOL

According to weather.com it is supposed to be 59 degrees and cloudy.

I live on 8 mile and it only takes 15 minutes for me to catch 275 from Beechmont and head up. We should meet up sometime! My friend Jan and I eat at Panera about twice a month.

That's it...... it was the heat!

Fun little notes: Cheetah Chase was relocated from BGW. Tidal Wave actually travels the same channel that the former jungle cruise took. The original smoke house occupied the building that is now SheiKra's gift shop. Busch Gardens started out as just the brewery and Bird Gardens. Also, you really can not compair the 2 parks. They are 2 completely different themes and settings. There is nothing wrong with the layout of BGT. Kumba can use some TLC, but from what I hear it still cranks the G's. The main problem areas of Kumba are right after MCBR and the dive into the ground. There is a shudder at these locations. Kumba is my #1 steel coaster.

It was amazing last year. If only the darn paparazzi would leave me alone when I go out in public! http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30414192&id=1297644186 Diamondback was a walk on most of the night. Vortex was a 1 train wait. Beast was a walk on for the middle seats, but a one or two train wait for the back. 10 minutes wait for the front. It is the only night that I pay to visit KI after I buy my Platinum pass. It is very much worth it. Last season I see some familiar faces that I would not think I would see on that night. People who I ride Diamondback with frequently. It was nice to see them there taking advantage of the light crowds and getting their rides in.

I am SO THERE! It is one my calendar, THANKS! Got at least 1 ride on each ride I wanted, PLUS 13 on Diamondback last year.