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Hi guys. Looks like ukfan031 beat me to the pictures. BUT! I'll still post them. Sorry it took me so long. A round trip to KI is 8 HOURS for us. We only stayed for about 4-5 hours too. I hope Some of you will still appricate them . Pictures2 720 by KIC-Original, on Flickr Pictures2 721 by KIC-Original, on Flickr Pictures2 722 by KIC-Original, on Flickr Pictures2 724 by KIC-Original, on Flickr

Just a reminder, we often don't know at the time when we get a one time or soon to end opportunity. Do today what you can. We can't put off things knowing we will get a second chance. Usually we do, but not always. Don't defer joy. It's hard sometimes. But, enjoy what you can while you can!

^ I think that would be very cool. But, I dont think they want to make a scene at all. But is the coaster and its trains even in a good enough shape to be ran? Its been 3 years of just sitting there. But I dont know... just a theroy Thats true. But, you mentioned making a scene about Son of Beast. I agree with you about that but KIPR and Greg posted pictures of the demolition on Twitter. I would think that would get more publicity than just running a train though one more time. The most concerning factor is probably the trains. I think they have been sitting in this dirt patch since 2010. It would be hard to believe that those trains could be run in that condition. This past May I walked in the JDRF Walk to cure Diabetes. The path goes back through SoB, under the hill and past the Rose Bowl, it really is a magnificent sight to see back there. I took several photos like the one post above (and the ones Ive posted in Random Photo of the Day). I really didnt get to stop and "drool: over it because honestly, I thought I would be back there again next year. The announcement caught me so off guard it was like getting punched in the stomach!

You know, I've been thinking. I wonder how much of Cedar Fair's capital has been spent on demolition/removal this year. Son of Beast, The Crypt, Wildcat, Disaster Transport, Space Spiral, and the ride at Knott's. I'm not sure if I'm forgetting something.

This picture was taken last week.... The Chain is still on the ride. These were also taken one week ago from the Eiffel Tower: I'll upload some from yesterday as well very soon

It will be in about 30 years or so! You'll be telling the younguns the story about the time, long ago, back in the first decade of the 2000's, when Kings Island...and there were these things called Internet forums...Internet, what was that you ask, Sonny? Speaking of Sonny, they had this big wooden coaster I watched them tear down, it was only 12 years old...(the kids roll their eyes, having heard this many times, and plot their escape. Years later, they will wish they had asked more questions and listened better...) All of life is a circle....

Ah, but size could refer to height, length or total mass in this instance. Not to mention what would otherwise be large is often small in the context of Son of Beast, a nearly 22 stories tall wooden coaster, the second longest wooden in the world, with a nearly 12 story tall loop (higher than Racer, nearly as tall as Beast), and the ride that put Kings Island in the category of most wooden coaster track of any park on the planet (Jeff worked there, as you can see!) Separately, I wonder if when they were kids, the contractor's mommies told them, "if you don't stop tearing things up, you'll never amount to anything!"?

Pictures from the park today:

This set of photos is from yesterday 9/29/12 Taken from the Eiffel Tower as well

Got a chance to experience Haunt Friday the 28th. First off I was floored by the sheer environment of Haunt this year, it blew all the other years I have been away by a long shot. The fog was thick as ever, it was rising up from anywhere and everywhere as cast a shadowy haze over the park. At one point I was in line for Cornstalkers and could not even see the Eiffel Tower because it was so thick. I am going to try and not give to much away and let you experience the mazes for yourself but here's my review in order of what we did. Club Blood (6/10)-Same as every year really, got quite a bit more scares out of this year however. The person outside giving rules and directions was foul mouthed, dressed to the part an really fit the Club Blood "Scene" I must say. Wolf Pack (6/10)-We did this around 7'ish I believe and it was still light out so the sun lit up a lot of the maze taking away the factor of fear. Overall though got a couple really good scares, besides the Haunt Staff member following us the whole way through and the park sweep that came in when we were walking through. Slaughterhouse (4/10)-Not very entertaining at all compared to past years I thought. Still had a couple stand out points in the maze I thought made it worth the 2 minute wait however. Not a bad maze, but not the best compared to how it has been in years past. Cutthroat Cove (5/10)-Had never done this haunt before so I did not know what to expect. Overall I was impressed with it. I thought it could have been a little more enclosed, I am not a fan of the wide open houses, I like the feeling of everything being right on top of me. Once again, not terrible though. Cornstalkers (7/10)-Our first really good house we went through. The fog was rolling and couldn't hardly see anything. Couple times my girlfriend got terrified and screamed and even once took off running. I don't want to ruin anything so I will leave this maze at that. I rate this one as a must do IMO. Massacre Manor (9/10)-IMO probably the best haunt in the park. Every single minute is intense and scares the absolute hell outta me. We had a girl in our group get scared so they sent someone in for her but she said she was fine but it seemed as if they toned down all the scares after that, so that made it go down a notch but still a must do Haunt. Mysteria (-8/10)-Yes that is a negative, I just thought there was nothing going for this house, from the reviews and me seeing the scareactors I knew it wasn't going to be up to snuff. I really wish I would have gotten to do this house when it was Maze of Madness, it looked so much better then. Urgent Scare (7/10)-It seemed like all the theming had been removed and it was just a plain ole Hospital gone wrong haunt now, no back story or anything like it use to be. Still gave some good scares and is always a must do for me. Madame Fatales (10/10)-While Massacre Manor does it more for me, this house was truly amazing. The Scareactors in the house were perfect, the set up was perfect and it was nice to look up and see the old Deity God staring at you. I cannot praise how well Kings Island did with this new haunt, everything about it was on point and it had something to scare everyone. I just hope we don't see it disappear if they decide to remove the Crypt building in the future. Tombstone Terror-Tory (7/10)-Better than I had remembered in the past, couple of surprises that really got me. It's just such a nice haunt to walk through the woods and everything, nice set up and a good maze. CarnEvil (8/10)-This was the ONE haunt I have wanted to do since the FearFest days, and let me tell you it did not disappoint. The only thing I have against it is that I wish I would have bought the 3D glasses. The ending was awesome as well. Overall a great maze I thought, a must do. Holiday Horror (6/10)-This was our last maze as the park was nearing closing time. The only objection I have is that it is very hidden in the back of Planet Snoopy which they advertised as being closed. Not to mention the yellow skull indicating it was a house wasn't working. Me and my girlfriend went in with just is two because nobody was in line at all. Some good scares all around but for it just being us two I thought they could have done more. I like the theming though I must admit. My favorite house was by far Madame Fatale's, followed by Massacre Manor closely and then CarnEvil. Overall the park wasn't too bad crowded, got all the rides in except Firehawk. I wish they would have kept the theming on the back half of The Beast like it was last year but still a great night ride on a cold October night. And can someone tell me what that HUGE explosion was in Coney Mall, we heard it in line for BLSC and it scared the hell out of us, it sounded like what happens for the show on International Street but it came from about where Zephyr is, we were puzzled. Everyone needs to get out to Haunt this year, best year for it IMO.I had been typing this on my iPhone at work for the past couple of days so sorry it took so long to get on here. I have pictures but they are not very good quality, due to it being dark and my iPhone not being the greatest of quality. New lights in The Beast station, made it look really nice. Cutthroat Cover. Eiffel Tower all lit up, shortly before it disappeared in the fog. This was taken literally about 20 feet from Slingshot and you can barely see anything, awesome. This is amazing to me, that little orange glow you see is the orange Haunt skeleton from about 20 feet if that away. That fog carried in the maze and made the environment spectacular. I would like to once again say thank you to Kings Island for making this year's Haunt the best in my opinion. I also loved the monsters coming out at the very beginning at the front gates.

I think it would be a safety concern more than bad publicity. As other posters above me have stated, the ride structure and track itself has sat uncared for for about 3 years. If a couple tons of weight were to suddenly travel over an unstable structure, what do you think would happen to the surrounding rides? Flight Deck and Adventure Express could suffer major damage. Not solely from the tumbling wood, but from the trains hurtling in excess of 70 mph towards the ground. In addition, how could one know without inspecting the ride that the chain, sensors, and brakes still functioned properly?

I got some pics from the Eiffel Tower yesterday too, but (no surprise) they are very similar to what's been posted already. I'll be visiting at least a couple more times before the end of season, so I'll try to get some on each visit.

I was standing at the park yesterday thinking, "I bet the lighter trains can make that jump!". Wouldn't it be a great publicity stunt to send a train filled with water dummies down the first hill and just see how far it would go?

Here is my rundown of Haunt 2012. What is a “must see” and what’s a “skip.” These are in order from the weakest to the strongest: Mysteria – This maze is more confusing than scary. I’m not going to dignify it with a large critique, but I’ll just say that it can be skipped. Tombstone Territory – You have to wait in line to ride the train… then you have to wait in line to walk through White Water Canyon’s exit. This maze is unoriginal and uninspiring. It wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t such a pain in the butt to do (waiting in too lines) but this one is a skip. CornStalkers – For some reason they put this in the Tower Gardens and nixed The Cemetery. It keeps coming back in different locations every year and every year is even lazier than the previous. I walked through CornStalkers after a rain storm and it smelled really bad too. It’s not exactly Mysteria bad, but it’s pretty bad. Cut Throat Cove – This maze was ok-at-best when it debuted and hasn’t really changed since its inception. I’m not going to go as far as saying you should skip it, but I’m going to advise against waiting and hour for it. Graveyard Shift – Rebooting a show that won an IAAPA award 10 years ago seemed like a good idea on paper, but I think the show is really stale. The performers – as always – are astounding and the lighting for the show gives it a big production feel, but the song lineup is extremely stale and the set is boring. It’s not a bad show, but it doesn’t hold a candle to the other shows we’ve seen from Haunt. Urgent Scare – This maze has been missing something since its first year. Don’t get me wrong – the “hospital” is VERY well-done, but every year they put a lot less effort into it. The first year, they had a whole scene in the outside queue – which went away after that year, and this year the last outside section was gone. They tried to imply that “Magnum Energy Drink” was responsible for the virus, but didn’t really follow through with the storyline… and then entirely nixed it after the first year. I’d say this one is worth going through. It’s not going to change your life, but it is fun. Massacre Manor – I’ve always liked this maze because it’s your typical haunted house. Again – it’s not groundbreaking, but it’s definitely a fun maze to walk through. That’s why it makes it on the “must do” list for me. Slaughter House – A butcher-themed maze can easy be really bad, but this one seems to work. It’s actually relatively long too. Some of the meat scenes are gross, but that’s the point, right? I’m particularly fond of the part when you get “pooped out” in the end. They don’t say it, but you know what they imply with the tight hallway. J CarnEvil – There’s something about this maze that I just totally love. A clown maze is another one that could be horribly stale, but I don’t think this one is. It has a lot of neat 3D-ish effects and some interesting twists. It’s a must-do! Holiday Horror- I know many of you might disagree with this maze, but I find it both creative and fun. It’s a must-do for Haunt and hasn’t dropped off in the least since its inception last year. My favorite part is the 4th of July scene with the house on fire. That’s just funny. Wolf Pack – How the hell did this make it so high up on the list? It launched a few years ago as a token werewolf maze, but was completely rebooted this year. They have a ton of sections that really make you feel like your treading through the woods. If you haven’t done it this year then you simply must! Club Blood – Club Blood is awesome all around. It’s unique, it’s creative, it’s witty, and it’s edgy. It’s been around for a half-decade but still holds its place as a staple for Halloween Haunt. Hot Blooded – I don’t care what anybody says – this show is amazing. I’ll let Kirk handle giving you a biography of all of the performers, but in my opinion it has one of the strongest casts that Kings Island has ever had. Every time I see this show (which is often) I find something else I like about it. This year it has been drawing standing room only crowds, which I think is awesome and well-deserved. The Showplace, though…. Boy does it need a new sound system. Last night, they had two people running sound, which helped, but it still doesn’t do justice to the performers. This is a must see, and has been for years. Blood Drums – Talk about a show that goes over well. How can you go wrong with people beating on stuff and fire? From what I understand, Cedar Fair has done this show at several parks for Haunt, and I imagine it works well at all of them. I’m not going to go as far as saying that it’s a better show than Hot Blooded, but it gets a slight bump because it’s new this year. Check it out! Madam Fatal’s Cavern of Terror – The problem that I’ve always had with the Haunt mazes was a lack of effort. This one is a true exception. You can tell a lot of time and money has been put into this one. It’s extremely long, creative, and of a quality that we haven’t seen until now. They really set the bar high, in my opinion. Let’s just hope that future additions live up to this must-see attraction. I know that a lot of people have griped about the $47 price tag associated wiith the meal that you can eat in the maze, but everyone I’ve talked to who has done it has said that the whole experience was worth it. I want to throw out the fact that if you really want to do all of the mazes, Fright Lane is a must. It allows you to skip the lines at all of the mazes once and can be purchased online or inside the park. If you’re going to buy it, get it early to get your money’s worth! Also, just as a PSA – season passes for ’13 are on sale for $79, and you won’t find a lower price than that. It’s a great deal and you’ll totally regret it if you forget to renew your pass and have to buy it for $100 an hour before the park opens for the season next year like I always do. To purchase park tickets, meal tickets, Fast Lane, Fright Lane, and everything Haunt visit Kings Island's official Haunt web site: http://www.visitkingsisland.com/haunt2012

Get your butt over to Kings Island, El Toro.

True story: In the late 70's, Terp was widely known for striding down formal hallowed halls each Wednesday at the noon hour, bellowing "Come to the forums! Come to the Forums!" All while loudly ringing a cowbell, much to the consternation of the more traditional! Always tell the truth, it will amaze your friends and astound your enemies!

Granted, I've only been here since 2008, but along with italianchef (whose PKI guidebook I still very much enjoy), I also really miss posts by violakat03, gigacoaster2k, Beast1979, etc. He's here more often than he used to be, but I miss when TombraiderTy used to post more, particularly on KIE (monthly quizzes, anyone?)

I also, absoulutly, love FOF's take off. sssshhhhoooommmm!

Go on a Friday night...... alot of people are at high school football games so its not as packed.

By the way.. I found this online and thought it was sweet!!

There are wooden coasters at Mt. Olympus in Wisconsin that have been uncared for for longer than three years, and the trains never hurt the surrounding rides.

I know that it was highly unlikely to happen. I just thought it would be interesting. One can always dream right???

Good or bad, this has to be one of the most significant things to happen to Kings Island since they got tired of the Ohio River flooding Coney Island. I'm not sure that enough people realize the full gravity of what is happening (that pun WAS intended to lessen the weight of my post).

NEW for 2013....A duplicate ride from Kings Island's sister park is moved to Kings Island. Creating an all new expirience....

What?!?!? No Rolling Dumpster???

In July of 2010, we made our only trip to New Jersey, just days before the removal of Great American Scream Machine was announced. We only got to ride it once due to downtime and rain, but the kids still speak of their once in a lifetime experience. As for the coaster I've ridden the most, I believe The Beast has recently overtaken The Racer, which held that title for many years, due to having a three or four year head start. But back then, there were no season passes, and that lead was not large. Then, in the early days of The Beast, long lines allowed The Racer to stretch its lead. But in the last few years, we have ridden The Beast far more often, which leads me to believe it is the new leader.

We were in the area yesterday and decided to swing by the park. The ride lines were pretty tame at 6PM. We rode Racer, BLSC, and SRR. Also did the Pirate Haunt. When we left about 8:30 the parking lot was filling up rapidly.

WOAH Terp started a fourm? Thats very un-terpy.

Violakat03 and her fiance' both work at Dollywood now. gigacoaster2k works at Cedar Point Beast 1979 - Jackson? Where has he been? UncleHenry - Lives and works in North Hollywood, CA Az Kinda Guy(post from time to time) - Stay at home dad for two adorable twins. I see him every once in a while. With a forum that's been around as long as this one, people come and go. Life moves on for a lot of people.

Italian Chef.

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...)

I'm like The Original, I'm not a haunt person

The only reason I know for a fact its Mamba, is because I used to live 3 hours from WoF, and I would ride it proabably 8 to 10 times on every visit. I used to go 5 or 6 times a year from 1998 on (Mambas opening year), through 2007 when we moved to Indiana. The only coasters I would consider riding that often in one visit now, are Magnum, Millie, Dragster, and Maverick, and I live to far from CP to go often enough for any of those to challenge my count on Mamba for at least the next decade.

Instead of mourning the lack of coasters, rejoice that you were able to create memories with your family! Those memories will last forever, and they'll know it was with Daddy.

I've never really kept count. Though I'd have to say it would be a close race between Raptor and Millennium Force (I worked at CP in 2000, the summer Millie debuted). Close 3rd and 4th would be Beast and Vortex. If this were an individual ride poll (not just coasters), it would easily be Power Tower, as that was the ride I was operator on in 2000. I put on too much weight over the past few years so riding coasters has been challenging if not impossible. But my 3-year-old daughter is a rider. She and I have ridden Woodstock Express 6 times this year since she hit the 40 inch mark in late June. And yesterday I rode Adventure Express with my 12-year-old son. So my official coaster count for 2012? -Woodstock Express: 6 -Adventure Express: 1 So, so sad. Though I plan to attempt to squeeze onto The Beast after midnight very very soon!

I was really hoping they would run one last empty train before demolition. I would love to see that video on Youtube every so often!

Good point. I was proud of myself for getting on Son of Beast in 2008. It wasn't the best ride, but I know I would've been disappointed if I didn't get the chance to ride it. I talked myself into TTD by thinking "what if this is broken by tomorrow?" It was.

We'll it looks like the rose bowl is cut off from the rest of the ride now....In some peoples opinion, The rose bowl should have been cut off many years ago....

Flying Eagles should be on that list. KCKC, too. Bayern Curve. Bavarian Beetle. Rotor. Zodiac. I could go on and on....

Probably a lot sooner than a certain website will.

Since I'm only 18, I don't think it's fair to call me an "enthusiast," since I'm on the same site as people who have had waaaaay more experience with coasters and parks. I've been intrigued by coasters since I was 12, coming on this site to learn the facts and discovering RCDB years back. From there I learned how to distinguish an Intamin from a B&M, and annoyed my friends with corrections on ANYTHING they said about coasters, using coaster jargon. I've only been to KI and CP, but it is a goal of mine to visit other parks and experience some of the amazing rides you guys talk about on here. My freshman year of high school, I bought a $240 seat on Diamondback for opening day, made my mom drive me to the park to get there by 6:30 am, sat on the train with a complete stranger, and talked stats with that person until the ride began. Some people assume I don't know a lot about coasters since I'm only 18, but the ones who actually listen are surprised at how much I know. I get Kings Island's tweets to my phone. My facebook posts must seem so weird to people, when I share my thoughts toward anything about Kings Island and it just screams enthusiast. I relate every school project to roller coasters or Kings Island. People at school get weirded out when I'd look through KIC or RCDB during study hall, but roller coasters struck me as the coolest things ever when I was a kid, and I'll probably never stop being a coaster geek

Welcome to KIC! I try to give everyone that is newer than me a welcome photo, and since your post was about fireworks... here is one of my favorite pictures I took at the WBEN fireworks this year. Pictures2 477 by KIC-Original, on Flickr It kinda looks like a double headed snowman.

This is an easy one for me, Vortex all the way. Ever since my first ride on it when I was a lil kid I’ve been hooked. I’m even thinking of getting a tattoo of it in some way on my back. I love this ride and have to ride it every time I’m at the park, lost count after 200 laps.

I've rode Adventure Express over 300 times since 2004

Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Terp, staunch defender of that glorious ride.

I haven't been around long enough but whatever happened to Beast(numbers, I think 1979?)...

Flying Eagles, Enchanted Voyage, Rotor, and Bayern Kurve. That is what I would love to see back at the Island.

If WindSeeker gets removed, can we have a new Space Spiral?

The smell of grease and clickety-clack of Vortex's chain dogs on the lift hill; The view of the "rest" of The Beast from atop its 1st lift hill; The faux squeak ambiance on AE's tiki lift; The airtime on the hump coming out of the turn by the police cars on BLSC; and, on FOF: ..........."clear."

1. Raptor 2. Voyage 3. Thunderhead 4. Maverick 5. Magnum 6. Legend 7. Alpengiest (sp?) 8. Manta (Seaworld Orlando) 9. Apollo's Chariot 10. Maybe Wild Eagle. It changes everyday though. Sometimes you just get a craving for a certain coaster.