VortexBFForever

Nice TR. I've never been to Halloween Haunt, but I also don't mind "spoilers" (although others might). At least, this gives me an idea of what it may be like when I go to HH (it'll be someday, just not this season...)

My two obvious favorites? 1. The smell of the lift chains on the older coasters, especially on Vortex, Adventure Express, and The Beast. 2. Food smells, like funnel cakes and pizza (especially LaRosa's Pizza ) There's also this one smell that I call "the KI signature smell." It's nearly impossible for me to describe, but I can say that it is the smell that means the most of Kings Island to me. [to put it simply, it's sort of a combination of a food smell (like funnel cakes) and a mechanical smell (like the aforementioned lift chains of the older coasters) but other than this, I cannot really describe it] It's pretty much a combination of my 2 favorite individual KI smells. EDIT: I forgot: I also like the smell of the chlorine from the fountains. That's probably my 3rd favorite.

Thats also where I got my Vortex poster! Along with the Diamondback, Vortex, and The Beast posters, they also have posters of KI, mainly the Eiffel Tower... I know I saw those too, though it's been over a month since my last trip to KI.

Ahhh, the Juke Box Diner. Every time I went there, I would be watching Vortex through the window whenever I wasn't ordering, let alone speaking to anyone. And I still do that.

Another dream of mine! #4- I had this one in the summer of 2009, not long after I took my first ride on Diamondback. In the dream, I was with my mom and my older sister, and we were staying at Kings Island for the whole entire weekend. We got in line for Diamondback. The queue was arranged a little differently, with the many switchbacks being under where the brake run is (in real life). I was watching the drop, and a train was reaching the top of the lift, then I realized that part of the drop was missing- and the train was going straight for the gap! But it traveled normally as if the missing track was actually there! Then I also realized it was actually a dream and got the urge to open my eyes but I didn't want to, because I didn't want to stop this dream of spending a weekend at KI, but a few minutes later I gave up.

50-60 minutes total. The first 5 minutes of the route I take southward from Beavercreek to KI goes eastward, on US 35 E. Then an exit is taken to US 42 S, where the majority of the travel time is spent (about 30 minutes), then a left turn on the junction to SR 48 S, which happens about 3-5 minutes after passing the former Der Dutchman restaurant in Waynesville. 5 minutes is spent on 48, then an exit is taken to I-71 S, where another 3 minutes is spent, then it takes 5-7 more minutes to exit 71 via Exit 25, turn left, pass Taco Bell and McDonald's right before turning right on Kings Island Dr., pass Harley-Davidson, Jimmy John's and Great Wolf Lodge, go through the parking lot gates, and then find a spot somewhere within the seemingly vast sea of asphalt and paint lines known simply as "Kings Island's parking lot" in front of the amusement park I call my second home, and also celebrating its 40th anniversary at the moment.

September 3rd was like that for me! My mom is a non-enthusiast, yet she's taken lots of her time to transport me to KI so I can "play" with Vortex and the other rides (and I'm thankful). At first, she wasn't willing to go, and one of the reasons was the rain! I kept on telling her that rain is a good thing and would keep the Labor Day weekend crowds away, and the rides would still be open unless it was thundering and lightning, but it was to no avail. But she thought about it, and even talked with my dad about it. We kept an eye on the doppler radar to see how much longer it would actually rain, and finally we decided to head out to KI at about 1:10 pm. It was hard, and it took a few hours to get her convinced, but she got convinced, which counts. Nice TR, malem!

Wow! Very short TR, as I have read in your first sentence. (the shortest TR I've ever read!) But detailed enough to sound like you had a pretty interesting time there! Way to be simple. I like it.

How awful! Especially with this happening at/near supposedly happy places of an amusement park and a fair...

I still call many Planet Snoopy rides by their Nickelodeon names like "Fairly Odd Coaster," "Runaway Reptar," and "Plankton's Plunge."

I hope I'm not the only one who was thinking, "Is this just a thirty second video of the structure sitting, OH WOW, nevermind" When I saw the structure collapse, my mouth hung open, and I was speechless No seriously . WOW Thats a whole lot of kindling--er, wood!

Hey I don't have one! (I'd rather have a Samsung Galaxy Tablet 2 or an iPad!) ...I know, you're just exaggerating ...or are you?

I've had TONS of KI dreams- but in this post I'll mention 3 of them (in order). #1- I had this dream a few months prior to a trip I took to KI on 6/30/08. (before I became a thrill seeker) At the time my goal was to ride Runaway Reptar, but the dream started out with my mom and I eating at this International Street Restaurant-style restaurant (yes, it was still at KI) with Nickelodeon characters roaming around the room. The other guests in the room had lots of game prizes and giant stuffed animals, yet I had none. Suddenly I was at Nickelodeon Universe, within the park, standing at the entrance for Reptar. But I just ended up walking up this infinitely long carpeted staircase...and never rode Reptar before the dream ended. *On the bright side, during my 6/30/08 trip, I finally rode Reptar! (I guess things DID work out, after all) #2- This dream also was in 2008. This time I was riding Vortex on this sunny day in the spring (March?) except instead of the normal harness and all that, my so-called "restraint" was two pieces of white twine-like string, going in an X across my mid-section. The cars on the train were more like big tubs. I only went as far as the lift hill, then it jumped to the loops, then the dream ended. lol *Weird thing is/was, it would be two more years after that dream before I rode the real Vortex in 2010. #3- This one I also had in '08 as well! (go figure.) I was strolling through Coney Mall toward Vortex, and suddenly, I see this Vortex train on a section of straight track, TWIRLING THROUGH THE AIR OUT OF CONTROL...(the train stayed as straight as a ruler) then it exploded when it hit the ground. I almost cried, since I already loved Vortex just by watching it. When I woke up at 4 am, I thought, "I should definitely go back to Kings Island soon." More wacky KI dreams of mine coming soon...(Stay tuned!) -BFF, still dreaming on a semi-regular basis...

Thanks to one of my recent posts in another poll, I was "inspired" to do this one. Of course, I'm a HUGE fan of Vortex, hence the username... I'm curious to what YOUR opinion of Vortex is, whether it's good or not-so-good.

Sounds like you had an excellent triple ride on Vortex. And a rollback on BLSC?!!? First time I've ever read that in a trip report... Good stuff. ...Hey I bet my August 4 TR was even longer than your September 29 one!!!

Required some thinking for me. The longest time spent off of a coaster at KI would have to go to...Firehawk. Haven't rode it since May 24, 2012. Also, I've never been on Backlot Stunt Coaster. Somehow I didn't get as interested in it as I did with most other coasters. But I will ride it someday. The longest I've spent off of a coaster overall (out of the ones I rode already) would go to Viper, Predator and Boomerang at Darien Lake. I hadn't visited that park at all since 7/25/2011. All the other parks I've been to besides DL (including KI) have all been visited this year (2012).

Dude, the moment I read that part of your post I almost drooled. The clickety-clacking of Arrow chain dogs (and grease smell) is practically my most favorite noise EVER!!!! I also love every single one of Vortex's elements, AE's final tunnel, FD's swinging (who DOESN'T love that?!?), The Beast's double helix, Flight of Fear's elements and the fact that you're in near total darkness, Firehawk's inversions, when you're going backwards on Invertigo......for me, the list goes on, and on, and on.

That's my next Vortex ride goal...200! [Just 65 more rides (as of 10/28, my most recent trip) and I'm there!] But I'll still be keeping count when I surpass any number (yes, that means 200!). Yeah, Vortex is also the top ride for me, by a lot. Right now I've rode it 135 times total since 2010 (when I started riding it). The second-most-ridden-by-me ride is Diamondback, which I've rode only 72 times since mid-2009. The count could have been higher, but those other opportunities were either sacrificed for last minute rides on Vortex prior to park closing (like on July 10 and October 28) or it was closed (like September 3) or the line was much too long (like August 4, especially in the evening). I feel I should step up my rhythm a little more on my riding of DB... After all, it IS my second most favorite coaster at KI... Third most-ridden coaster has to be Adventure Express, though it's only at 16 rides, then Flight Deck, which is also at 16, and The Beast at 8. (yes, I'm also thinking about riding the other coasters a little more as well, all while still getting my dose of Vortex rides on each and every KI trip.) For Cedar Point, it's Magnum XL-200 at 6 rides; Iron Dragon and Gemini are at 5 rides as of my most recent CP trip on September 9. (I only go once a year--3 and a half hour drive away from my house! and also I've only been going annually since 2011). Corkscrew is close behind, with four rides total. Loch Ness Monster is my top ride at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, at six rides (I've been there only once--on 6/26/12). Griffon and Apollo's Chariot are tied for second at two rides. At Darien Lake, Viper is at the top with 10 rides (during the only trip there so far--on 7/25/11) and Boomerang has the second most at only 2. For Kings Dominion, Anaconda has the most (5) and second is Shockwave (3). (I've also been to KD only once--on 4/10/12) Python is the only coaster at Coney Island so it'll always be at the top there. (though I've rode it only once...)

Yeah...my reason is basically what tuxedoman52 said. Ya know, if this were how much of a Vortex enthusiast you are, I'd be a 10++++++ or even more! (uhhh...you know what I mean, don't you?) Edit: Hey, maybe I'll start a poll on how much of a Vortex enthusiast you are!! Ahh...the power of an imagination.

That video was just great, and the soundtrack really brings out emotion. (I actually want to watch it again!) Of course it's a ride I never got to ride, and my annual CP trip came a little late for that this year...although I DID go three days before the Spiral fell... EDIT: The song used in that video (for the first half and very end before the credits) was actually the soundtrack that played on CP's WindSeeker when I rode it on 9/09! Go figure...

Why, thank you. In fact, I thank everyone for all the compliments and replies! I appreciate them! [Of course, keep 'em coming (even after this post) because I'll STILL be thanking everyone...]

Nice (and little) report! I've never been to Beech Bend Park (so I haven't ridden every operating coaster in KY! ). Kentucky Rumbler indeed sounds exciting... ...(and too bad no re-rides are allowed! I <3 re-rides!)