VortexBFForever

I know a lot of people are waiting for my take on this...I'm so shocked. I knew I would have to say goodbye to Vortex at some point, yet this is still sooner than I expected. Vortex has a special place in my heart for more reasons than one, most notably it being my first job and my first looping coaster. Because of Vortex, inversions are my favorite element on any coaster. At this point, I don't care for Orion. I'm still glad we're getting it, but I'm purely devoting these next five weekends to enjoying Vortex while I still can, both as an associate and as a guest. -BFF, who will now start bringing a handful of tissues with her to Kings Island...

I love Gemini when it’s dueling, especially since the trains are close enough that you can high five rides on the other train! I like its dueling aspect better than Racer’s. Yes, the ride is jerky but it’s not the worst. I consider Gemini one of my favorite non-inverting Arrows.

It wasn’t me on that train this time...but I’m glad that one person had fun! And I am glad you and your friends had fun! And I agree about Vortex offering a smoother ride in the back. When I was working tonight, I rode with a little girl who wanted someone to ride with her (her dad and brother were riding in the row behind her), and we were in 6-1. We had a great, smooth ride (especially compared to my recent rides in/near the front) which we all loved! I still ride anywhere on the train but I make a beeline for the back (middle-to-back in general) anytime I want a particularly smooth(er) ride.

I have the amazing privilege of helping in the Spectacle of Color parade. I'm trained to direct (and soon drive) the floats, mainly the Venetian (with the big mask on the front; third-to-last in line) and Rio (with the parrot on the back; last in line) floats! I directed the Venetian float during the soft opening on Friday and crowd control for the France float on Saturday and I have had a blast so far! During the show stops, EVERYONE participates in the dancing, which I love because I love dancing. I guess, in other words, you have the chance to see ride ops dance (as all the parade float directors and drivers are ride ops!) in the parade as well. For someone whose "home" department is Rides, it's a special opportunity to help alongside the Entertainment department as the performers are literally right next to me, so I get to watch them and direct a float at the same time in addition to dancing during the show stops! I'm not scheduled to work every parade, but I'll be there often enough that chances of spotting me are good, like when @MDMC01 spotted me on Saturday! It's even more special seeing the guests' faces as we pass them. They definitely love it!

(Yes, there is a date stamp. Pretend it's not there. )

KMAA is paired with Shake Rattle & Roll for its crew (just like how WindSeeker and Vortex are paired for my crew). Prior to this year, Shake Rattle & Roll was paired with Backlot. Backlot is now its own crew.

All of what I have seen so far is definitely accurate! I'll contribute a couple of things: -Rides are machines; they break down. Other times we may have to close due to weather (high winds, thunderstorms). We can't control the weather or if/when any kind of downtime occurs, and the best we can do is just roll with it and know what to do when dealing with it. We never know exactly how long a downtime is, and we literally mean it when we say we're not sure how long it will be before we reopen! I had one day at WindSeeker when we closed due to a technical delay (not for high winds this time!), and I was telling the guests in line the usual "we're not sure how long this will last," "I can't say when we will reopen," those types of things. They understood, except for one who wasn't having it and gave me a hard time (to which I calmly responded) before she huffed out of line. I didn't think much of that ordeal until I was greeting at the entrance a few minutes later when a group of about 10 guests who were exiting the line started asking if I was okay and complimented me on how well I had handled that one guest. My heart felt so full thinking about how the other guests had pretty much stood up for me, as they knew I was just doing my job. I still appreciate them making sure I was okay afterward. This brings me to my second point: -Guest compliments! Not very many know this, but guests can go to Guest Services and leave written compliments for any associate whom they see going above and beyond or just doing a great job in general. I have received a few of these written compliments during the time I have worked at Kings Island so far, and it's always a pleasant surprise. I have also had guests compliment me verbally. When life as a ride op gets challenging and tiring, a compliment, whether written or verbal, goes a long way even if it's as simple as the "You look tired, but you're doing your job well!" compliment a guest told me a few days ago! ALSO, pertaining specifically to Vortex, as a Vortex ride op: Those of you who have ridden Vortex know that its restraints do not come up on their own and are heavy to lift. Anyone who sees this post who hasn't yet ridden Vortex: please know that all you need to do to open your restraint (should you find it down when you board) is to push down and pull up really hard! A lot of guests I see just give it a small tug and then stare at it (or even sit on the closed restraint), and then I have to help them. There's nothing wrong with that, but it helps us Vortex ops a lot when guests know the memo and pull their restraints hard enough to open them. Sometimes even when I'm there as a guest, I help guests in neighboring seats open their restraints if they appear to be struggling, as long as I'm back in my own seat in time to be checked! Capacity/efficiency is one of our big priorities, so anything that saves us time while also helping us do our job safely is greatly appreciated!

I have a spreadsheet too! Mine is titled "Amusement Park Data" because I use it to keep track of ride counts at not only Kings Island but other parks as well! I keep track of how many times I ride the rides each year since my first KI visit in 2007. In fact, back in 2010, I would make Top 10 lists of rides I've ridden the most after every visit, which was how I was able to keep track of my rides early on. I also have made a bar graph as a visual representation of how the years' counts add up from 2007 through the last completed season (2018), below which I have the most important feature: the date it was last updated. I added that in 2017 since I started going to the park nearly every day and I had nearly lost count way too many times. You will notice that I still have a number of Nickelodeon Universe ride names on my spreadsheet. Another notable observation is that since 2017 (my first season working at KI), one particular ride has triple-digit counts...

Today is by far the most crowded day I have seen this year. I worked all day today and for a lot of the day WindSeeker’s queue was full and Vortex’s queue was overflowing!

A layer of gray clouds covered the sky as the sun rose on the morning of Saturday, May 4, 2019. As park opening grew nearer, the rides came to life as they ran their startups, including the Arrow looper and Mondial WindSeeker that call Coney Mall's east end their home. When it came time for the morning test rides, one associate who volunteered to ride first stepped into the front row of the train parked in the station, and sat in the left seat. Soon after buckling her restraint, she and her train were sent out into the gentle drizzle that fell. As the ground grew farther away and the lift hill's summit grew closer, she realized just how special her ride would be, for this particular ride would send her ride count...into the 700's. That associate of whom I speak is myself, and the particular ride about which I speak is Vortex. At 10:00 a.m. on May 4, 2019, I not only test rode but also changed the hundreds digit in my ride count. I twirled through Vortex's six inversions for the 700th time, all with a 55 mph drizzle in my face and the temperature in the upper 50's. With this occasion came some notable differences in the way I celebrated: - No guests witnessed the occasion; only several of my crewmates did. My crewmate who was driving said "Enjoy your 700th ride!" as my train departed the station. - This was the first time I have taken a milestone ride on the anniversary of a previous milestone (I had taken my 500th ride one year prior, on May 4, 2018!). - This was my first milestone ride that was also a test ride. - We had started Vortex's startups a little later than usual, so I did not have time to get a picture of me holding my homemade sign (though I did get a picture of the sign afterward) while sitting on the train, because otherwise we would open late. The most notable change also happened because of this: - I took this ride in the front left seat...on Train 2, NOT Train 1. Shocker, I know. I took my 100th, 200th, 300th, 400th, 500th, and 600th complete rides on Vortex in the front left seat on Train 1, as well as my first test rides of 2017 and 2018. Since Train 2 was already in the station when it came time to test ride and we were short on time, I decided to be flexible and hop on Train 2 instead of waiting for Train 1 to come back around, for the sake of my crew and the ride opening on time. The funny thing was, I had said to myself a month or so prior to the season's start that I would be okay with taking my first Vortex test ride of 2019 on any train (not just 1 like the last two years), and that definitely applied to today, where Train 2 got the spotlight. I had also not planned for my 700th ride to be a test ride, as last Friday's 14-ride Vortex binge was an impromptu trip planned only hours in advance. Do I regret riding a different train? No. In fact, this works well in its own way. I had always considered Train 2 to be my "lucky train," as I would often end up on that train for who knows how many rides in a row (even spanning over multiple days!), without even planning it. The number 7 has always been my favorite and "lucky" number. It just so happened that by riding Train 2, my lucky number met my lucky train. Plus, this was my first ride where it was simultaneously a milestone and a test ride, so for me Train 2 will now have the title of "Milestone Train While Working" and Train 1 will still have the title of "Milestone Train" with it now applying to any milestone rides I take as a guest. This means I will now try to ride Train 2 when I happen to simultaneously test ride and reach a milestone, and still try to ride Train 1 when I reach a milestone as a guest. In the mid-morning drizzle of Saturday, May 4, 2019, I celebrated the same occasion differently. Much like how I still enjoyed my Opening Day visit without Vortex, I enjoyed my 700th complete Vortex spin on a different train. + Vortex: 1 YTD: 15 Total: 700 1/3 (P.S. I also got retrained to drive Vortex today! ) (P.P.S. May the Fourth be with you. )

As much as I love the look and feel of the classic Arrow trains, I would be all for the Vekoma MK-1212 trains. If Vortex ever received those trains, its already good ride experience could be even BETTER. Not to mention that many who are turned off by Vortex's jerkiness/roughness would perhaps be willing to give it another shot. I still think Vortex is great the way it is, but I'm not opposed to any improvements!

I have eaten there at the last two Winterfests and I have really enjoyed it. I’m so happy it’s reopening this summer and not just for Winterfest!

I rode Flume on Saturday. It wouldn’t make sense to close it for the season after only one weekend. I think it just needs to be updated from last season.

I thought yesterday was one of Invertigo's better days. I rode on the backwards-first end and had a great ride. Either way, it's pretty cool that we've inherited Stinger's train.

Let me start off by saying that those of you who know me well may perhaps wonder what I thought about last night and today being too cold for Vortex (and its Arrow coaster siblings) to operate, and being unable to ride them. Yes, it was not what I originally planned, especially with how much I had looked forward to this weekend and getting my long-awaited first rides of the season on my favorite ride, but that does not mean it was a bad weekend. I can wait two more weeks (next time I go back is May 3) to ride Vortex, and the prolonged wait will make that ride even more worth the 5.5-now-6-month wait! In the meantime, I knew today was a great day to let my other favorite rides (especially Invertigo, Diamondback, and Banshee) take the spotlight. For any ride that isn't Vortex, Adventure Express, or The Bat, the 5.5-month-wait would possibly end today. And for 15 different rides, it did. Last night was Preview Night, and also my first shift. Needless to say, it was less eventful than usual, as it was too cold to run Vortex and too windy to run WindSeeker. My crew helped out the Antique Autos crew by rotating out who would be "line control," which consisted of standing at the temporary queue entrance and making sure no one in line was "misbehaving." I spent one hour doing that and it went smoothly! Those brave souls in that line were willing to wait upwards of 30-40 minutes in the light rain and wind for the Antique Autos. Seems like they were truly missed! My guest relating skills were better retained than I had expected, and I enjoyed talking to the guests cheerfully all while hoping I would not turn into Mary Poppins and fly away by my umbrella in the strong wind. When I was at Vortex, I twice cleaned the train in the station (so now Train 3 is extra clean for next weekend! ), cleaned the station queue rails, and cleaned every one of WindSeeker's 64 seats (again, since we also did it on our training day). A few of my crewmates helped, so it didn't take very long. I also cleared countless fallen leaves (two inches deep in a few places!) out of Vortex's rock garden. The nice part of this shift-long downtime was that we all got to watch the fireworks together as a crew. I loved to find that The Greatest Show has returned until the new show debuts in May!! Today, I was off, so I decided to come as a guest. I already knew well in advance that Vortex wouldn't run today since the high temperature would be in only the mid- to high-40's (it has to be 50 in the spring). So I approached today as some sort of experiment to see how enjoying my other favorite rides (and then some) would still make for a great day at the park despite being unable to ride Vortex. I have had trips where an impromptu downtime situation left me without a Vortex ride, but today was different since I already knew Vortex was out of the question this time. Plus, I had for some time wanted to experience Opening Day as a guest, which I had done before on Opening Day 2013 albeit in the evening rather than in the morning/afternoon. I arrived at the security checkpoint and joined the line a few minutes past 9:00. The line/crowd was roughly ten people deep when I joined them. As the crowd multiplied in size and 9:30 got closer by the second, I noticed that the listed Early Rides on the displays were eventually changed from "Beast and Antique Autos" to just "Antique Autos." I was not planning on getting a Beast 40th anniversary shirt, but I still wondered how all that was going to work; it just so happened that opening Beast at 10:00 instead of 9:30 was one of those factors. At 9:30, the National Anthem played, and the Running/Jogging/Speedwalking Of The Bulls began. After passing through the Gold Pass entrance and flashing my Platinum Pass, all of us followed one specific route (as the other paths were blocked off) through Planet Snoopy, past Diamondback, and to The Beast as well as past Vortex to the Antique Autos. When I got as far as The Beast, I noticed that literally EVERYONE in front of me was heading to The Beast and joining the rapidly growing line in hopes of grabbing a coveted 40th anniversary T-shirt. I had already made up my mind to not get a shirt and to just head to the Antique Autos and get a ride or two in before the line got long, so I broke off from the crowd and kept walking into Coney Mall. I was the only one on the midway in front of Vortex when the Antique Autos came up in front of me, open and ready to go. I became the first public rider of the day on Kings Mills Antique Autos! I entered the temporary queue entrance, went right to the station, and boarded the first car in line for my first ride ever on an antique car ride at Kings Island. I had ridden (and enjoyed) the antique cars at Cedar Point and Darien Lake, and now I don't have to wait until I go back to either of those parks to ride antique cars again! I know, I love roller coasters and high thrill rides, but I enjoy rides like this too. After all, variety is the spice of life. A few other guests had began their own excursions by the time my First Ride of 2019 concluded. There was still no line, so I got right back in line and rode again for another tranquil three-minute drive. I noticed that WindSeeker was running its normal startups, as it was rather calm (as opposed to last night's winds) and decided that I could snag WindSeeker's first ride of the season after I finished riding the Autos. After my second ride, I still had time for a third. A small line had formed but it was no longer than a five minute wait, so I enjoyed a third drive around the track which finished right at park opening! And yes, I did end up being WindSeeker's first rider of the season! My first WindSeeker flight of 2019 was in Seat 17, to the tune of "See You Tomorrow" from How to Train Your Dragon (2010)! It was as fun as I remember, plus the added drizzle in my face. Knowing that "See You Tomorrow" played just two cycles before my favorite soundtrack, "Flying" from Peter Pan (2002), I hung around for a bit before rejoining the line and being assigned to Seat 61 (which, conveniently enough, is right by the hub's on-board speaker) for my second flight, which was also fun! It (literally) felt great to ride WindSeeker again. I decided I would hit some other rides and then come back later for more flights. I continued on to Backlot Stunt Coaster, as I was in the mood for riding any coaster at this point. Since it was early in the day (about 10:15-10:20) it was the best time to hit at least one of the lower-capacity rides. A line had already formed at Backlot but filled up no switchbacks, so I went for it. Ten minutes later, I was seated in the fourth row of the train for my ride, and it was fun! The launch was fun as always, as well as the rest of the ride. The fire effects (fully functional!) felt nice and warm on this cold day. Right after I exited Backlot, I saw Diamondback had begun to show signs of life (as it had not operated previous to this time). I really wanted to ride Diamondback today, so I walked over to Rivertown and joined the line outside the entrance. On the way, I passed Beast's line: I saw a sight that would make @King Ding Dong happy: And now, Diamondback's pre-opening line at the time I joined: It wasn't as bad as it looked. The line was already back to the Brewhouse entrance, but some guests left the line so I was halfway from the Brewhouse to the queue entrance by the time Diamondback opened. During my ~30 minute wait, I began hearing a familiar sound of rushing water. I glanced to the left and...Flume was running!!! In 45 degree weather!! I would later learn that it was also open last night. Even though Flume is also an Arrow ride, today was still warm enough for it to run; apparently its minimum operating temperature is lower than that of the Arrow coasters in the spring. Now, Flume was about to open, so I would still get an Arrow ride this weekend after all! Diamondback continued doing its thing... ...until finally it opened, just before 11:30! I was on Diamondback's fourth train of the day, in Row 14. I definitely missed flying down that first drop! It was drizzling slightly so it added to my already chilly ride. Flume had opened by the time I rode Diamondback, so...I headed there next. Yes, I know, I'm crazy! But this was my chance to ride Flume in 45 degree weather, and I did just that. I was wearing my rain jacket and I also had a rain poncho with me that I laid across my lap to minimize how much water would get on my jeans. I got splashed a little (it's a water ride, of course) but it was fine since I was the only one in my boat. I also kept my hat zippered away in one of my jacket's pockets for when I would get water on my head (the Snoopy fountain was on!) so my hat would still be warm and dry to cover my head afterwards. After my inaugural 45-degree Flume ride, I headed to Action Zone, as I was ready for an inversion fix and two of the park's four looping coasters call this section home. I wanted to ride Invertigo but it was closed at the moment, so I headed to Banshee, whose dive loop would become my first inversion of 2019. The line was on the stairs, so only a few minutes passed before I was seated in Row 8 on the Teal train. I remembered how much I loved the back on Banshee, as I was pulled through every element with great intensity. Banshee became my first looping coaster of 2019, and I loved going upside down again! I wanted to ride Invertigo as well, but it was closed at the time. I planned to come back and ride it later, as I still had several hours left. In the meantime, I saw that one of my favorite flat rides had no line... I was all for falling 267 feet at 65 mph in 45-degree weather in a light drizzle (which actually had stopped for a short time) so Drop Tower it was! That ride experience never gets old. I wanted to ride Delirium but it had gone down as well, so I rode Banshee again. The line was a little bit longer, but less than five minutes passed before I was once again on the Teal train, in the same seat as last time for another great ride! After my second Banshee ride, Delirium had reopened, so I hopped in line. I waited two cycles before boarding my other favorite flat ride, which like the others was something I had missed this past winter! That moment when you swing to the highest point and you float in your seat is always my favorite part of the ride. After I got off Delirium, I was actually feeling the slightest bit off (which I usually don't) and I realized that I had barely eaten or drank anything since right before I left home at 8:00 in the morning. Chicken Shack smelled good, but there was a decent line; I decided to just grab something on my way back to Coney Mall. It happened to be 12:58 so I took a slight detour to the Festhaus entrance in hopes of catching the Glockenspiel in action at the strike of one. Well, 1:00 came and went, with nothing happening. A few others who had gathered just to watch the Glockenspiel also wondered why nothing happened. The Glockenspiel characters look really nice though, and I am glad to see them refurbished! I can't complain that I didn't see them in action today, because we have the entire season to enjoy it. I went to International Street to one of my new favorite food places, the Wishbone Grill. I had gotten bacon-on-a-stick and a turkey leg from there during Winterfest last year, and both were pretty good. I especially enjoyed the bacon-on-a-stick, so that was on my mind when Wishbone Grill came into view. I originally thought of eating a proper meal (and I was actually on my way to Coney BBQ when I decided to see the Glockenspiel) but I decided that a snack would be enough to tide me over until dinner, so I made the healthy choice of getting...bacon-on-a-stick. There was no line when I was there, so I got my bacon-on-a-stick in no time after I had paid the few dollars it cost. And yes, it tasted SO GOOD. I can safely say I have found a new go-to salty/savory snack! The wind was starting to pick up, but WindSeeker was still going as strongly as when I rode it first after opening. Both sides of Racer were running with a walk-on wait, so I headed there just in time to walk onto Red, where I immediately boarded in 4-2 as my favorite row (5-2) was already occupied. The race went as usual, with Red starting out in the lead, a trim brake kicking in on Red's turnaround, and Blue finishing ahead. In fact, when we were sitting in the brakes, I heard another rider remark, "This is the first ride that we've ever lost," which is understandable because it's usually Red that finishes first. I rode again, but on Blue this time as I wanted to experience the results of the recent retracking. I noticed just how smoother the turnaround was, at least compared to the last time I rode Blue! I also noticed that there is no trim brake (or it was just turned off) on Blue's turnaround, which is why it finishes ahead of Red as long as Red's trim brake is on. Either way, both of my rides were really fun, not to mention complete with flying alongside the other train! I must mention that later I did see trains on Racer that appeared to be (near) perfectly synced on one particular cycle, so I still have my hopes up for a "synced" Racer ride, like a few Racer rides that I saw last year. Time for a few smaller rides! Scrambler came next. I waited one cycle before I rode. I loved being thrown to the side in my seat again! Next was Dodgem. One of my friends on the Monster-Scrambler-Dodgem crew was there and I knew she would love to see me (and she did) so I said hi to her on my way in while also getting to bump into complete strangers during the ride in true bumper car fashion. That's always a good time. I crossed the midway to X-Base to see how Flight of Fear's line was. I guessed it would be longer since it was indoors and away from the cold and drizzle...and I was right. In fact, the line was so long that one of the outdoor switchbacks was filled and overflowing out of the entrance. Upon seeing this, I immediately did a 180, walked back to Coney Mall, and rode Zephyr (which had no line -- just a partial cycle wait ). I had a nice flight on that, while also thinking about my rides on it during Winterfest (including the last week of 2017 when it was 9 degrees out -- that was crazy). It was cold enough to feel like Winterfest, and it basically felt like Winterfest but with more rides, fewer shows, and fewer lights. What an interesting in-between. Continuing my time with the smaller rides, I came back to where I started at the Antique Autos, which now had quite a line that justified my reasoning for making it my first ride if the day (and of the season). I was now up for taking a spin on Troika (Shake, Rattle & Roll) since I hadn't earlier. I rode Troika twice, and both times it was fun. Troika was my last ride of 2018, so my first rides of 2019 brought back some more Winterfest memories! The only differences between Winterfest and today were: fewer lights (the ride's lights were on though), it was daytime, the Autos were completed and open, WindSeeker was up, and Vortex had trains. I had already ridden WindSeeker twice, but since I won't be back there again until May 3, I wanted to take a third spin on it. I would later learn that it was a good thing I decided to ride it again when I did. I was assigned to Seat 32. The soundtrack that played was "This is Berk," also from How to Train Your Dragon (2010)! The soundtrack happened to fit perfectly with the interesting ride it would accompany. And by interesting, I mean the winds suddenly picking up to 30-35 mph gusts when the hub wasn't even halfway up! The drizzle had returned which only added to the crazy ride. 99% of the flight consisted of my gondola either speeding up or slowing down while closely encountering neighboring gondolas, and I would not only enjoy the foggy view but also glance around at the other gondolas swinging wildly. The riders in one gondola on the other side of the hub were able to reach the empty gondola in front of them with their feet when it swung close enough. That's how windy it was! Even with all the craziness, the cycle still went normally, and the hub returned safely to its ground-level home position in its normal fashion. WindSeeker had decided to literally kick its wind-seeking up several notches. It definitely lived up to its name on this cycle! This flight was even windier than my already-crazy-windy flight ft. 25 mph winds on last year's Opening Day, but THIS flight EASILY took the cake as my windiest, and therefore craziest, WindSeeker flight to date! Now I can say that I have ridden WindSeeker in 30+ mph winds!! I suspected the ride would go down for wind after this cycle, but I hopped in line again in case the next cycle (which would play the aforementioned "Flying") still went. I was assigned to Seat 12 and was heading in when my crew announced that the ride was going down for high winds, justifying my suspicions. I wasn't opposed to it, as the ride was not only fun but COLD, and I already had my "put the Wind in WindSeeker" ride for today! I said my "see you in two weeks" to WindSeeker and Vortex and headed back over to Rivertown. Diamondback's line wasn't too bad (looked to be around 30 minutes) but I had only an hour left before I had to leave. So...I rode Flume again. Don't worry, I got only a small splash and I was adequately prepared, so I still had a good time riding a log flume in 45 degree weather! The fountains seem a bit "empty" without the pedestals, but I still think they look neat. Surely I'll get used to it... While on my way back into Action Zone, I noticed Invertigo was open! As much as Banshee really helped my inversion fix, I also wanted a ride or two on Invertigo. It (as well as Banshee) is another of my favorite rides, after all. There was a small line, in which I waited only about 10-15 minutes. I always love standing right under the loop and just watching the ride in general. Right away, I noticed the train looked very different. On the other side (the side closest to the exit) I noticed outlines of what must have been decals...did this train belong to the late Stinger at Dorney Park? If so, I was not only riding our Invertigo, but also a part of Stinger! How cool. The ride felt about the same (fairly smooth, if not a teeny bit bumpy, as any Vekoma tends to be) if not a little quieter when the train would release form the top of the spike. Whether anything changed about the ride or not, I still think it's cool to be riding on Stinger's train (especially since I still have never been to Dorney Park)! I wanted to ride a second time, but the line was a little longer than when I waited, so I decided to wait until next time to ride Invertigo again. At least I rode it! At this point, I had about half an hour left. I had ridden pretty much everything I wanted (and could) so I figured I could do a mini-marathon on Banshee, especially since the line had diminished to a station wait! Plus I can never have too many inversions. I ended up riding Banshee three more times, as well as getting to see a few of my friends on the Banshee crew. The first of these three rides was in 8-4 on the Blue train. Still fun as always for a back seat ride including my two previous rides earlier in the afternoon. I decided to change things up a little and ride in the middle of the train, particularly 4-4 on Blue. What I got was a rougher ride, probably the roughest ride I have had on Banshee. Still fun, but it rattled me enough that I actually had a small headache afterward (my needing to drink a bit more water probably had something to do with it) and wasn't as smooth as my rides on Teal and even my previous ride on the same train. I told my Banshee crew friends about this and they said that Blue does tend to be rough (as does Teal - some days it's rougher) and Purple gives the smoothest ride. On a side note, we have that same kind of thing with Vortex's trains. Train 3 tends to give the smoothest ride (as my smoothest rides ever on Vortex have been on that train), while 1 and 2 are either smoother or rougher than the other which varies by the day. In fact, one day last year, I had a smoother ride in 7-1 on Train 2 than on 5-1 on Train 1! Interesting how this works, especially since a five-year-old B&M invert and a 32-year-old Arrow looper have the same thing going on. But I digress. I got back in line for my last ride, and made sure I rode on Purple this time. I rode in 6-4. This ride was MUCH smoother than Blue and a little smoother than Teal, and it was a great way to end my first guest visit of the season! Now for the million-dollar question: Did I still have a good day without Vortex? I would say, yes. I got a total of 25 rides on 15 different rides in the 6.5 hours I was in the park, and seeing how I enjoy and appreciate my other favorite rides (and then some) was a great way to use the extra time. Yes, I still greatly missed riding Vortex, but I'll get to ride it in two more weeks after my finals. More importantly, today (and yesterday) epitomized that I can still have fun even if my favorite ride isn't operational for that day. I still got to be there, and that's what mattered this weekend. Banshee and Invertigo did a good job "filling the gap" and delivered on my inversion fix, and the other rides I rode delivered sufficient thrills and fun times, making my prolonged wait to get back on Vortex a whole lot easier. This opening weekend was still so much fun, and I am thankful that my alternate plans worked! + Kings Mills Antique Autos: 3 + WindSeeker: 3 Total: 154 + Backlot Stunt Coaster: 1 Total: 9 + Diamondback: 1 Total: 119 + Flume: 2 Total: 24 + Banshee: 5 Total: 35 + Drop Tower: 1 Total: 37 + Delirium: 1 Total: 31 + Red Racer: 1 Total: 27 + Blue Racer: 1 Total: 9 + Scrambler: 1 Total: 31 + Dodgem: 1 Total: 14 + Zephyr: 1 Total: 39 + Troika: 2 Total: 51 + Invertigo: 1 Total: 32

Ha ha, very funny.

In the spring, the required temperatures are higher since they're just starting to be run more consistently after a 5.5-month offseason. In the fall, our Arrow coasters' minimum operating temperature (to at least start up) is 45 degrees; in the spring, it is 50. Today's high temperature was only 47 degrees, which justifies why Vortex, Adventure Express, and The Bat were closed all day today. If today was October 20 rather than April 20, they would have been able to open since it was at/above 45 for most of this afternoon.

I saw at least one to two people wearing shorts during Winterfest too! And, if you (and anyone else on here) remember October 20 last year (that extremely windy Saturday where the wind chill was in the 30's), I was working at Firehawk that night and a few riders were wearing shorts! I couldn't help but think, "Are your legs not FREEZING?!?" especially since I had no fewer than two layers on and still struggled to keep warm! @malem definitely isn't the only one who sometimes likes to sport shorts in cooler weather! Pertaining to the topic, the wait time for anything as of 12:24 pm is approximately 4 hours and 36 minutes for my passholder friends, and 21 hours and 36 minutes for everyone else going tomorrow!

Last night I had a dream that Vortex was being repainted to the colors of Dragon at Ocean Park in Hong Kong! https://rcdb.com/1234.htm#p=42796 I for one enjoy that color scheme, but I still would rather stick with the blue and orange.

Step Into the Past While Enjoying the Present!

Where the Old is New Again.

The Beast was one of the big coasters I tried in 2008 (when I was still rather wary of them), and only my second big wooden coaster (first was Blue Racer). I remember my first ride on July 4, 2008, and zipping through the woods at 65 mph even in the middle of the day scared me! I rode it because a ride on The Beast was regarded as a huge accomplishment among my elementary school classmates (I was in third, going into fourth grade at the time of my first ride). Two years would pass before my next Beast ride on August 17, 2010, not long after my first rides on Diamondback and Vortex eliminated my fears, and needless to say I enjoyed it a lot more. My first night ride on The Beast was on July 11, 2013, after watching the fireworks through the trees from the switchbacks. I found out for myself why The Beast is famous for its night rides. However, I still rode The Beast sporadically until last year, when it started growing on me. Not only did I find myself riding it more often when lines were short, I experienced my first rain ride on June 12, 2018, a smattering of night rides in 2017 and 2018, and my favorite ride to date (which happened on October 19, 2018) which had both night and rain! I have grown to really enjoy The Beast at night and/or when it's raining. I cannot accurately describe the feeling of speeding past trees on all sides at 65 mph under the cover of darkness and/or while being pelted with rain needles drops, and I don't think anyone can. My favorite parts of the ride are from the second tunnel to the second lift and the shallow drop into the double helix from the second lift! At night, the ride always seems to haul through these parts (and perhaps the whole ride) which adds to the already exhilarating experience. Happy 40th Anniversary to one of my first big coasters, The Beast! Though not all of my Kings Island trips include a Beast ride, I agree that it definitely deserves its recognition and fame, and I'll surely consider hopping on over for a spin after dark or during/after a rain shower!

These 2018 goals have carried over to 2019: - Reach 700 rides on Vortex #MaybeMay3 - Possibly reach 200 flights on WindSeeker? (I'm at 151 and the most I've ridden in one season is 39) - Visit Soak City more than once New for 2019 goals: - Dance to the newly refurbished Glockenspiel at least once - Reach 800 rides on Vortex - Reach 900 rides on Vortex (my goal for this season) - Ride in every seat in every train on Vortex (doesn't have to be within the same day) - Keep beating my single day ride record on Vortex (32 as of 10/21/2018) - Ride Vortex 200 times or more in the same season - Make at least one attempt to beat the overall single day ride record on Vortex (66). Call me crazy, but I really want to go for it. I'm ready for another stiff neck (my side effect from riding it 32 times ). - Marathon Diamondback on or around August 14 (which this year is the ten-year anniversary of my first ride on Diamondback on August 14, 2009). - Get trained at all four Arrow rides in the park (Vortex, Express, Bat and Flume) in the same season. Vortex is my home ride so obviously I'm trained there from the start; I got trained at Bat in 2017 (but not 2018) and Express and Flume in 2018. - Get trained to drive a coaster other than Vortex. - Pick up at least one shift in Park Services during the summer, to help out my friends there! That's all I have for now.

The stories I'm thinking about have mostly to do with guests I've encountered. I remember a lot of fun moments with guests at Vortex, but some stick out to me more than others, such as this one from early 2017: We had just opened for the day, and we had a couple of families come to the exit to have their kids' heights checked to see if they had reached 48". Since we had no one else in line yet, we were able to give that matter our full attention for the time being. One of those kids in particular I still remember fondly. I and two of my crewmates were measuring her on the height scale (the metal platform with the triangle - the bottom of the triangle is at the required height and must move the rider's head) and she was just tall enough - the triangle on the height scale moved her head just barely, but enough for me to notice. "It hit her head! She's tall enough!" I exclaimed, and as soon as we gave her the purple 48" wristband, she ran to her family who were waiting at the exit and showed them her new wristband, all while jumping up and down with excitement. She was ecstatic that she was tall enough and it made for a most wonderful start to my day! She of course rode afterward and had fun. Thanks to Vortex's fairly low height requirement, I see a lot of kids who are riding for the first time. Some are in tears because they are so nervous, and usually we talk to them and ensure that they will be okay and that they may enjoy it. I often say, "I love this ride, and maybe you'll like it too!" Most of those nervous/scared kids end up enjoying the ride after seeing that going upside down isn't as bad as they feared. I make sure to ask them afterward if they enjoyed the ride. I remember one day last year when I met a little girl who was scared, but chose to ride. When her train came back and I asked how her ride was, she answered with an awed "That was amazing!" as I helped her lift her restraint so she could get out. A few other young riders on the same train ran up to me after they got off and told me how much they enjoyed their rides. I say that I'm not that great when it comes to interacting with kids, but moments like that are proof that I may have to reconsider that thought. It always makes my day seeing a kid get off the ride with a huge smile on their face and asking their parents if they can ride again! On Build-A-Bear's "Pay Your Age" fiasco day last year, I was working when during the last hour of the day I met a young boy who had gotten his own Toothless plush from Build-A-Bear, and now he and his parents were riding Vortex. Of course I had to point out that I too was a How to Train Your Dragon fan and that I also had my own Toothless plush (which, yes, was there with me, in my backpack nearby!) and I told him that if he wanted, his Toothless plush could ride with him if he held onto it tightly (which I do too, #shamelessplug!) and I even mentioned that we could even ride together with our Toothless plushies! He loved the idea, and so after his first ride, he came back around and we were able to ride together a few times, with both of us holding on tightly to our Toothless plushies for the whole ride. Vortex is his favorite ride too, so it is needless to say that both of us had a blast that night. What a memorable few rides for both of us, on our favorite ride! There was also one day last year when I was helping someone with their Ride Admission Policy sheet, and he told me that he was the first person in line to ride Vortex on its opening day in 1987. I replied with "Wow, it's so cool that you got to be one of its first public riders!" He kept insisting (politely) that he was THE first public rider, so I took his word for it. I felt a little star-struck, as I had just met and helped the same person who was reportedly Vortex's first EVER public rider in 1987, and he was still riding it 31 years later! That is so cool!