malem

The R-rated "final scene" of Mysteria is rather tasteless; I wouldn't consider that a warm-up for anything.

The facts of this tragedy are still largely unknown. If the mother's actions (or lack thereof) rose to the level of criminal negligence, she should bear some criminal responsibility. Any such action obviously pales in comparison to the much, much harsher reality of losing a child. It's certainly possible that this was an unforeseeable accident on the mother's part, in which case charges would obviously be inappropriate. I agree that jail is not appropriate.

1. Click your username at the top of the forum 2. Choose "My Settings" 3. Under Profile Settings, ensure your time zone is set to GMT-5 if you're in Eastern time (Ohio, eastern/northern Kentucky, most of Indiana - not including Gary, Evansville, or Santa Claus), GMT-6 if you're in Central time, or whatever offset you might be in. If the time was correct before but isn't correct now, you were likely set one hour ahead (-4 for Eastern or -5 for Central). 4. Check the box that says "Automatically detect when my timezone is in DST" if not already checked. 5. Press "Save Changes" 6. The forum will now display the time correctly all year round.

^^ She, along with the rest of society, needs to realize that failure to attentively care for young children isn't just tragic - it's criminal. It's fairly certain that she didn't want harm to come to her child, but gross child negligence needs to have criminal penalties regardless. Granted, a long jail sentence isn't appropriate for such a momentary (yet severe) lapse in judgement, but she shouldn't get off scot-free. ^ Even if she acknowledges that she's partially (or even mostly) at-fault, that doesn't stop her from suing the zoo for their part in the accident. Even buglers have been known to sue owners of houses they've broken into, after getting hurt.

Thanks for sharing! It was nice to finally meet you, albeit briefly. I hope to see you again in 2013! The NWS forecast for closing day was spot-on. Granted, the very slight warm-up (to 51) in the mid-afternoon never happened, but otherwise it was very accurate with cloudy skies and temperatures hanging in the mid-40s. I normally trust the NWS forecast more than local news stations or Accuweather. Considering that Columbus had rain all day, we really lucked out. It was really nice to drive away from all that! Always good advice; the low was a full 9 degrees lower than forecast that night - and almost 2 hours early! Beast and Diamondback would have been much better had I dressed for the worse-than-expected weather, but we still had fun regardless. For everyone who hasn't experienced Diamondback in the rain at 45 degrees with just a t-shirt and shorts, I wouldn't recommend it.

Drying and exiting techniques aside, I just wish everyone would actually wash. Way too many people skip the sinks on their way out of the men's room - even employees in restaurants! (Sorry ladies!) Recycled towels supposedly have the highest bacteria counts, but all tested contained at least some potentially harmful bacteria. The fact that the towels and the dispenser are constantly being exposed to contaminated water droplets is also a factor. As for hand dryers, nasty things can grow in those warm, moist environments as well - and they aren't as effective as towels in removing bacteria. That said, leaving your hands wet is probably worse hygienically than risking the towels or dryer. Handwashing loosens germs that need to be removed by drying, and you definitely don't want to touch a handle previously touched by those who didn't wash. Until reading the article I linked, I used to always use a paper towel technique like Jr for Birdy and KI-ORIG-EMP. Now, what I do varies based on my assessment of the restroom and whether I have clean tissues with me. No matter what you do, you're going to be exposed to dangerous bacteria and other microorganisms, and your immune system will protect you most of the time. Some places are disgusting, but you still don't get sick - most of the time. (Just wait until the topic of pool/water park hygiene comes up!)

I do this as well, if all else fails, but paper towels can be nasty as well: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-500165_162-57350204/paper-towels-actually-carry-germs-study-shows/ Of course, I prefer restrooms I can use without touching my hands to anything. (Especially disgusting surfaces like door handles, sink handles, and those Dyson dryers.)

Well, I'm really late to this thread, but at least I now know who to blame for dumping a bucket of water on me that day.

^ I was trying to catch it for him, assuming it would land nearby. Instead, I watched it fly down Coney Mall and eventually disappear somewhere over The Racer. We really need to come up with something better than adhesive name tags for next time. Glad you also enjoyed the meet-up! I definitely plan to come to another (and hopefully more) next year, assuming I'm within driving range of Cincinnati of course.

Great footage - thanks for sharing! ^^ At first, I didn't even realize you were trying to duck from cameras on the tour - I thought you were just making silly faces.

^^ Trademark applications by major companies can be quickly noticed thanks to automated searches like this one: http://www.trademarkia.com/company-cedar-fair-lp-222594-page-1-2 Notice that Gatekeeper was filed on the day the coaster was announced, whereas Coast Rider was filed early.

Lanyards aren't a good idea. They tend to hang in the way and get caught on things - not a good idea on dynamic thrill rides! I think clip-on name tags would work best: no holes in garments and very secure. Alternately, we could make KICentral t-shirts. In the past, KIC meet-ups were organized as ticketed events. If we're able to have such an event again, tickets might cover a group meal, supplies, etc. If the park invites KICentral to such an event again, I'd certainly be up for going. (There have been off-season construction tours and winter parties that KICentral has been invited to in the past.)

The station will not be dismantled along with the ride. I was told this by Don in front of Tower Drinks yesterday.

If you hadn't kept ducking away from the camera, I would have had better ones with you in it!

With people joining and splitting up so many times, it's hard to keep track of who was there at each specific time. I don't keep detailed notes like ohiocolts does, so I have to base it on memory.

Thanks everyone for a great time on Sunday! It was chilly, but I escaped a rainy day in Columbus for a thankfully-dry Mason, so I didn't care. Closing Day is a great day to visit - crowds are minimal yet enthusiastic! For the second meet-up in a row, I volunteered to help with coordinating everything and getting people synced up. Even with minimal lines everywhere, name tags, a widely communicated time/location, a mobile number for late arrivals, and personal invitations to everyone from KICentral I could find during ERT - this was much harder than I thought it would be. On to the trip report: I was the 5th car at the park at 9:20am, before the parking gates opened. I managed to get the closest parking spot to the gate on the north half of the parking lot. At the front gate, jcgoble3, ohiocolts, DiamondAceExpress, Vortexfreak, and I found each other. I had printed nametags for everyone who asked me for one or who indicated they'd be at ERT, but unfortunately they weren't sticky enough for the combination of nylon jackets and roller coasters. Fortunately, I had printed extra sheets of name tags due to them jamming in the printer, so I we had replacements as they blew away. Unfortunately, we papered the park with stray name tags. (Next time, we need something more secure - tags with clips, wristbands, t-shirts, etc.) At Diamondback ERT, several people saw my name tag and greeted me. Unfortunately, I don't remember all their names. I had enough of Diamondback after 6 rides, so I stayed off and took some pictures. (If you see yourself, let me know and I'll include your name) KI-ORIG-EMP will appreciate this photo: Just before the park opened, jcgoble3, ohiocolts+family, and I found each other again near the Eiffel Tower. We all rode Flight of Fear together with no line, then four of us (ohiocolts, jcgoble3, myself, ohiocolts's dad) tried to ride Firehawk - also without a line. Unfortunately, Firehawk got stuck and trapped us right after the seats were lowered. After laying down in the train and talking for 16 minutes, we were released. After blocking off the malfunctioning seat and doing a test run, they let us back on for a successful ride. ohiocolts's dad managed to take pictures with his phone while we were stuck in the ride, so read his report for those. After a ride on Delirium, jcgoble3 and ohiocolts decided to ride Xtreme Skyflyer together for $5 each. Meanwhile, I walked around the park to recover a bit from all the riding. Later, we attempted to have lunch at Rivertown Junction before the Tower Drinks meet-up and share ohiocolts's 30% food discount from FunPerks, but it was closed for the day (and season). We didn't have much time before the meet-up, so we rode The Beast instead. We arrived at Tower Drinks early, where Don was already waiting on the KIC group to arrive. To give Beastie1980 time to arrive, we waited until about 1:35 for the group picture. Here's our first group picture, of those who actually showed up on time. After the picture, Don surprised us all by inviting us to a tour of The Beast later in the day. (Thanks again, Don!) After the photo, ohiocolts suggested that we all eat Hanks burritos in the Festhaus while catching the Graveyard Shift show. Several of us decided to do that, and TheCrypt finally found us as we were eating. (Thanks again for sharing that 30% discount, Matt and Lucas!) Halfway through Graveyard Shift, we left to join everyone else at The Beast. While passing The Crypt building (Madam Fatale's Cavern of Terror), TheCrypt asked us to bow our heads in respect. Thanks to Don catching some who didn't come to the meet-up, the KIC group grew in size considerably. ohiocolts took lots of video with his iPod: First lift hill: Over the hill: Into the tunnel: The terrain is hilly: Double-helix: Camera Reset: Don took another group picture and tweeted it on the @KingsIslandPR Twitter account: http://via.me/-6fsszwy After the tour, I tried to take the entire group to ride The Beast at once: That didn't work out so well as we entered a very crowded Beast station. We ended up riding two different trains and causing some empty row dispatches. We split back up after that, and I joined ohiocolts, jcgoble3, and Beastie1980 for a ride on Flight Deck, where ohiocolts found VortexBFForever. We separated yet again as ohiocolts and VortexBFForever used ohiocolts's FunPerks voucher for Sling Shot. Later, we got back together for Racer, Adventure Express (including a train with just KIC'ers), and Vortex. The group separated entirely for the last hour in the park. As is tradition, there was a large group of people from KICentral and ACE for Beast final rides. Because of the group size, we had 3 trains of "final rides". I took the first train, sitting next to Mrs. Gator, so I could get pictures of the next two: Last train! jcgoble3 and someone else in the last row of the last train: Kings Island is officially closed! Again, I'd like to thank everyone who helped make this meet-up a success. It was great to meet so many people, and I had a really good time. Next time, we should try to get a large group together for longer so that more people can meet each other. We broke up rather quickly after the tour meet-up, lots of people didn't make it to Tower Drinks, and the park was (obviously) closed following the last ride. It might be nice to organize a group lunch ahead of time, for example. Riding things in the park with a small group of KIC'ers, yet again, was fun. As far as I know, the only such group was the same one that formed for the Haunt meet-up - with jcgoble3, ohiocolts+DiamondAceExpress+family, Beastie1980, myself, and occasionally other people. It might be fun for more and different such groups to form. (Especially for those who end up going alone.) In any case, we really need to do meet-ups like this more often next year!

Guest Services will be able to admit you. There is no $15 fee required to gain admission on a "forgotten" pass. This fee only applies if you elect to replace your "lost" pass. Guest Services should open when ERT begins at 10:00am. If you get there early, look for the group of KIC'ers - see the closing day meet-up thread.

^ For what it's worth, I'll likely be wearing shorts at the park tomorrow if the forecast stays as-is. I'd rather risk being a bit chilly than risk something flying out of an unsecured pant pocket. Some people need more to stay warm than others. I tend to be somewhat tolerant of both temperature extremes.

Do: -Wear a jacket -Have fun -Visit Tower Drinks at 1:30 sharp! Don't: -Take loose articles on rides -Sprint through the park like a maniac to catch the first train of the day on Beast -Ride so much that you get sick

I've received a total of 4 of these surveys. I filled out one a few weeks ago, and I got 3 more invitations this week.

At the parks with upcharge Haunts (Carowinds, Canada's Wonderland, Knott's), the park closes early to clear it out before Haunt begins. If you want to attend at both times, you must buy two separate tickets. None of those events were ever "free with admission", so guests don't expect it to be. 2013 passholders have already been promised "unlimited" Haunt admission next year, so it's pretty certain that the admission policy won't be changing next season.

^ My hunch is that Son of Beast reopening with a hut at the top of a hill containing Boomerang Bay items wasn't BB1's vision for the future.

http://www.KICentral.com/forums/index.php?/topic/16173-kings-island-dreams

All CF parks that weren't acquired in the Paramount Parks acquisition.

Just because the park is packed to capacity doesn't mean revenue is maximized. I'm sure there's a "sweet spot". If you pack the park full enough to ruin the guest experience, you're going to have diminishing returns. Satisfied guests open their wallets, and people expecting to be satisfied buy single-day tickets.