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I feel the same way about my car tires.One went flat once. I am never getting in a car again.

Ed Alonzo, star of the "Ed Alonzo Pyscho Circus of Magic & Mayhem" show this past summer at Kings Island, will be appearing as a guest judge on the Magic Castle special edition of "Cup Cake Wars" Sunday, October 28 at 8:00pm on the Food Network.

I'm the one in the blue YMCA shirt and was prepared with a raincoat and extra sweatshirt that night. Thanks for letting me be in the picture even though I wasn't really a KIC member yet! I had a great night, glad to meet you all. Thanks for helping encourage ohiocolts to try new and frightful things. Too bad he wasn't up for going in every maze. Nobody was there and we could have easily gone through everything!

^It means to get stuck in a low point between two hills... in a valley, if you will.

^ 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.

What are all these footers? I see no footers. Now footings on the other hand...

What kind of name is Coast Rider? In my opinion, it sounds horrible.

^Everyone takes their clothes off and runs?

Random Thought: Rides like King Cobra, The Bat, and others have footings lounging around to this day, because there was no need to have them removed. The park has reportedly mentioned all Son of Beast footings are to be removed. What could this "future park expansion" entail if all footings need be removed?

Please....I read literature in English II-IV that made Shut the **** UP look like a saints prayer. Like Shakespeare...that dirty dirty man...

Your history teacher sounds very nice

Why? It has kicker wheels at the top. Top Thrill Dragster does not.

Vekoma's Giant Inverted Boomerangs had a habit of valleying in the cobra roll, and had huge scaffolds and staircases added pretty quickly once that started happening. BEFORE: AFTER: REALLY AFTER: Definitely not insinuating that Flight of Fear really did valley there. Just sayin'. Plus, the original poster is going by what his friend said. Even many of us here might be baffled by the layout of Flight of Fear, so it's much more likely that the ride was stopped on the midcourse brakes (more than it normally is, I mean) and people were unloaded from there. As you can see, the MCBR is about at the same height as the cobra roll, so a guest surveying the room in darkness would be confused.

Good luck getting it to work.

Its installation was overseen by a dinosaur, as well. He's not in charge anymore.

Well seeing how there is no catwalk or set of stairs anywhere near the cobra roll for them to safely evacuate from, I'd say no.

Age does not constitute maturity. Some adults act worse than the eleven year olds you mentioned (ranging from smoking on rides to picking fights)

On The Beast tour Don told us all the footers would be removed, and there would be no sign it ever existed.

Can't wait to use my free Skyflyer and Slingshot rides this Sunday, as well as the front of the line pass tomorrow. All I have to say is a thank you to Kings Island. The program was great for it being a prototype, hope to see some other ideas expanded upon next year.

I'm not sure why, but when I saw the numerous pictures of the snapped wood, sitting on the footings like tree stumps, a wave of sadness washed over me. Something about it seems heartbreaking to me, even if I know not why. Perhaps it is a good thing the park did not release any Crypt demolition pictures.

This is similar to my Lion Country Safari Spotlight that I shared in March, so if you haven't already, be sure to check it out. - Anyhow, a brief explanation of what this is... I find Kings Island history interesting and I love Halloween. Combine the two with Kings Island's Halloween Haunt now being in its twelfth year and, well, you get something like this. This is the product of a bit too much time and quite an interest in the event, but hopefully some people here find it interesting and informative - All years, including 2011, are written in past tense. Pictures are taken from miscellaneous websites and Kings Island's official facebook, alongside select ones being from my own personal collection. - Any questions or comments, feel free to post. Also, if you have any photos for an attraction(s) that's currently lacking any (cough 2000's FearFest cough), feel free to share. - Alrighty, that's about it. Enjoy - 2000 The inaugural year for Paramount's Kings Island's FearFest. Debuted Friday, September 29 and ran for fourteen nights through October 31. According to PKI's executive vice president and general manager Tim V. Fisher, "This will be the largest and scariest haunted experience in the Midwest." Various "mazes" and attractions, all designed by Sudden Impact! Entertainment Company, were announced for the event. Several other minor attractions were also present, alongside a limited selection of the park's thrill rides. Full list, including quotes from UltimateRollerCoaster.com press report: Torture Tower (On Eiffel Tower) - Guests took an elevator to the 265-foot platform, where they would experience "wind howling through the bars of the tower" and encounter a "world filled with scenes of terror and torture including an electrocution." According to an online review of the event, the top of the tower also featured a mad scientist lab, a "wheel of death" and a performer who produced sparks with a cattle prod (similar to what is currently found in Massacre Manor) The Freezer (Beneath Eiffel Tower) - Reportedly the only true “maze” of the event, The Freezer was “FearFest’s coolest attraction” and was a stainless steel meat locker filled with mirrors and “crammed with corpses, crazed prisoners and ghouls.” Pirate Jack & the Legend of Halloween in 4-D (Paramount Theater Backstage) - Comic-book style, black-light maze. Centered around characters “Pirate Jack with his cronies Feer, Dowt and Worrry” and told the “tale of Halloween in horrific 4-D”. Featured “a combination of 3-D effects and the use of sets, special lighting and atmospheric illusion.” 3D glasses were available for an upcharge. The Sewer in 4-D (New York Nightmare, aka Festhaus) - Black-light maze with a spinning tunnel and “toxic waste and a host of bizarre creatures.” 3D glasses were available for an upcharge of $1. The Mummy's Revenge (Enchanted Theater) - A “claustrophobic journey through the catacombs of a ruin where the Mummy is [brought] back to life in search of revenge.” Included performers and themeing in the queue. Museum of Horrors (Phantom Theater) - A renovation of the family-friendly Phantom Theater into a gory and gruesome attraction. Additional props and performers were added through-out the attraction, as were moments of darkness and a change in operating procedures – only ½ of the cars were loaded to increase the distance between riders. While some scenes were intensified, others were simply covered with black scrim. The attraction's music was also switched-out to a different soundtrack. Club Studio Fifty-Gore (New York Nightmare) - Dance-club like environment with music and miscellaneous arcade games. Freak Show (Paramount Theater) - A short film, approximately six minutes. At least on certain nights, a fire juggler was featured prior to the movie. Pirate Jack, often considered the "mascot" of FearFest 2000 Action Zone's thrill rides (King Cobra, Top Gun, Drop Zone, Face/Off and Son of Beast) were also open during the night. The event featured a separate admission price of $19.99 ($17.99 when bought at the park alongside daily admission, $16.99 for season pass holders). Parking was $7. Due to the separate admission price, Kings Island would need to divide the daytime guests from the FearFest guests on Saturday nights. In order to do this, wristbands were issued to FearFest participants. Once FearFest started for the night, guests were required to have a wristband in order to experience any of the rides or mazes. Also, in order to avoid a massive mess at the park entrance, daytime guests were directed out through the former season pass entrance while FearFest guests entered via the standard entrance. - Advertisement in 2000 park map - On Fridays and Saturdays, FearFest ran 8pm-12am. On select Thursdays and the weekdays leading up to Halloween, the hours were 8pm-11pm. 2001 FearFest underwent major changes in 2001. Sudden Impact! Entertainment Company did not assist in the design or creation of the attractions, leading to a brand new list of haunted houses and trails. Outside of standard thrill rides, the majority of the event was shifted from International Street / Hanna Barbera to "Coney Maul". Circus of Horrors 3D (Festhaus) - A black-light maze with a spinning tunnel and an extensive usage of clowns. House of Darkness (Rock Shop Building) - The standard haunted house maze. Curse of the Crypt (Back of Arcade) - A dark and claustrophobic haunted house themed to the classic Egyptian tails of mummies and pharaohs. The attraction's entrance was at the spot of the current Plate Break game. Maze of Madness (Red Barn) - Originally to be named "The Morgue", prior to sensitivity concerns. A chain-link fence and mirror maze with loud noises and nauseating effects. Guests entered the attraction at the end of the building facing Racer. Trail of Terror (North Woods) - A dark pathway that twisted through Kings Island's woods. Featured zombies and other characters. Apparently had a minor back-story involving missing campers. During the attraction, visitors were required to hold onto a yellow "safety-rope" that linked all guests together. Elvira's Superstition (Paramount Action FX Theater) - A simulator attraction that took guests through Elvira's "Scream Park" Sleepy Hollow (Pathway from Vortex to Beast) - A foggy pathway with various monsters The list of thrill rides expanded with Xtreme Skyflyer, Days of Thunder, Adventure Express, Racer, Flight of Fear, Vortex and The Beast, alongside everything from 2001. The event was still an additional cost - $24.99 at the gate ($18.99 for season pass holders), $19.99 in advance ($16.99 for season pass holders). It ran for a total of eight nights from 8pm-1am. 2002 - FearFest returned for its third year with two "new" attractions. WEBN Celebrity Slaughter (International Showplace) - A nightly show where "your not-so-favorite celebrities, and possibly your 'friends,' come to their demise at the bloody hands of a demented DJ," according to the 2001 FearFest website. Psycho Path (North Woods) - An upgrade to the former Trail of Terror - Returning attractions were Circus of Horrors 3D, House of Darkness, Curse of the Crypt, Maze of Madness and Elvira's Superstition. Sleepy Hollow apparently did not return. - - The available thrill rides remained the same from the year before, only minus King Cobra and plus Tomb Raider: The Ride. Tickets were available at the park for $21.99 at the Return Visit Booth. The event again ran for eight nights from 8pm-1am. 2003 - FearFest dropped its extra admission fee in 2003 and expanded with two "new" attractions. Route 666 (Antique Cars) - An abandoned highway in which guests were able to drive through miscellaneous sets and scenes Curse of the Crypt (Back of Arcade) - A renovation of the pre-existing attraction. The entrance was presumably switched from the Coney Mall midway to between the Arcade and Racer this year, reducing the crowds on the path Returning attractions were Circus of Horrors 3D, House of Darkness, Maze of Madness, Psycho Path and Elvira's Superstition. WEBN Celebrity Slaughter did not return. The majority of the thrill rides, alongside many family rides, were made available during the event. This trend has continued since with the children's area and select family attractions typically shutting-down at a designated time. Now that the haunted attractions were included with park admission, select indoor haunted houses were able to open at 3pm. The outdoor attractions (alongside Circus of Horrors 3D) opened at 8pm. FearFest ran for five Saturday nights, closing at midnight. Additional FearFest 2003 Photos 2004 The park added three new attractions. Friday the 13th (Paramount Theater) - A montage of some of the bloodiest and goriest moments from the Friday the 13th franchise Sleepy Hollow Horror (Temporary Tent) - Built in a temporary tent near the back of Eiffel Tower, Sleepy Hollow Horror took visitors to the 1700s and into a creepy farmhouse. --- Dracula's Haunted Castle (Paramount Action FX Theater) - A simulator attraction that transported visitors on a thrill ride through a haunted castle Returning attractions were Circus of Horrors 3D, House of Darkness, Maze of Madness, Psycho Path and Curse of the Crypt. Elvira's Superstition did not return, having been replaced by Dracula's Haunted Castle. - FearFest 2004 Entrance Display - Curse of the Crypt entrance Like before, select indoor haunted houses opened at 3pm. Other attractions opened at 4pm, 7pm or 8pm, depending on location. FearFest ran for five Saturday nights, closing at midnight. Midway through the event, a section of Psycho Path caught fire. The cause was unknown and the attraction was temporarily shut-down, but it later reopened. Additional FearFest 2004 Photos

Maybe you should google "Ed Alonzo" he has a pretty impressive résumé..

I don't see how it could valley there. It's still going very fast, so fast that many don't even know there is an inversion there.

Brings to mind images of a historic scenic railway leaping the dips along Sandusky's shores.

SOB has way more footings than all of those rides combined.

getty up horsey!

Holiday World still runs off of Pepsi. And wonderfully so, may I add. No price complaints here.

I am really against the park closing for a few hours mid-day and reopen later. Just make it so you have to have a wrist band for the haunt.

And don`t forget that Michigan`s Adventure, Interpreter!

Lift hill chains are not removed from any coaster for any reason other than replacement. For steel coasters, other than when it recieves a new paint job, nothing is applied to the tracks. Wood coaster tracks recieve oil throughout the season whenever deemed necessary. No machine, all done by hand.

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

We do? What specifically about the inversion caused the problems? Terpy, ever curious.

And there was at least a 50 percent chance the rumor was right.

So you don't like it when people post something you perceive as rude or crass, but then you state your dissatisfaction by being *cough* rude or *cough* crass?

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.

Some might say it is broke. Look at what SeaWorld in California is undertaking. A year-and-a-half-long expansion and remodeling of their entrance that will replace the very "1970s" set-up (also seen at Kings Island) with an immersive entrance that sets a tone and draws people in with unique architecture, touch pools, gardens, waterfalls, etc. Functionally, it also provides a more natural experience where people can easily redeem online tickets, use smartphone tickets to enter the park, purchase tours, front-of-the-line passes, dining plans, and more at one convenient spot, etc. The park wouldn't take on this massive project if they didn't think it would benefit them in the long run. I'm sure armies of industrial/organizational psychologists advise them that this setup will pay for itself. Buy a ticket, buy a dining plan, get a Fast Lane, and schedule your day in one spot. Meanwhile, major parks across the country are taking advantage of new technologies to make entering the park smoother. SeaWorld parks, Busch Gardens parks, Universal's Orlando parks, and Walt Disney World parks already use touch-and-go fingerprint scanning on multi-day tickets and passes (eliminating the need for costly, manned photographing of pass-holders or the absolutely ludicrous "sign your name on the back of the ticket" that Kings Island currently sometimes remembers to use). Walt Disney World has tested RFID technology that removes gates completely and allows radio-frequency-transmitting tickets to scan on contact at the open entrance. This allows one employee to man a number of entrance portals, and reduces the time taken to let in strollers or people in wheelchairs. In other words, Cedar Fair has (in the past) been slow or even resistant to allow technology into the parks. Just because we've gotten used to that doesn't mean it's still the standard. In fact, things can be much smoother and simpler while also benefitting the park. Not saying Cedar Fair's seasonal parks ought to switch to RFID scanners, but there's a happy medium.

The problem is, Kings Island's 'Gold Passes include Halloween Haunt" is just too good of a deal. My opinion is that an up-charge ticket for Halloween Haunt and Halloween Haunt ONLY should be created. I still think daytime fun on Saturdays and Sundays should be included until say 5:30. Then everybody clears out and they re-open shortly later for just Halloween Haunt people. Tickets should be discounted to all season pass holders, but not free. There should also be an option to add on a Haunt Season to pass to a Gold or Platinum. This way they can make even more money then they already do, and could put more effort and money into the haunted attractions.

Yes and yes. First yes: This year at Kings Island, in my two visits, has been horrendous. The amount of people is equivalent to cars in rush hour. Lines are crazy long - for both mazes and rides. I haven't been able to ride The Beast this Halloween because the line has stretched all the way to Madame Fatale's line. Diamondback has also had a line stretching out of the entrance, as has Adventure Express (although that's not a long wait), Vortex, and many others. It's almost unenjoyable. Second yes: The crowds are the reason it should be an up charge. My only concern with this is, I think people would still pay to get in. It's just crazy that a 364-acre park with tens of rides and mazes still doesn't control the crowds at all.

May I remind everyone that if WindSeeker is fixed, the chances of being stuck for three hours is very slim. The chances of being on the gondola, as well, is even slimmer.

Im not sure about anyone else but if I got stuck on WindSeeker for 3 hours, Im not sure I could ever ride another ride. I am not a huge fan of heights. I ride rides to help control and conquer my fear. Standing on the Eiffel Tower at KI makes my hands sweat and when the tower shakes I get super nervous. I usually dont like talking while in line for a new coaster and thought I was going to die when I rode Griffin at Busch Gardens, my wife made me ride the front seat, but the hanging scares me to death. If I would ever get the nerve to ride WindSeeker (and I probably never will) and it got stuck for 3 hours, I would probably pass out, vomit, or even worse. I go to the parks to help conquer fears and to enjoy the thrill of saying "I rode that." I dont plan on a ride breaking down, and if a ride breaks down time after time after time... then well the park must do something to assure me that I will not be stuck up there. If I got stuck on WindSeeker, I would demand my money back for my ticket/pass and would probably avoid theme parks for years... Im not kidding, when things like this break, and if Im on it, Im sure I would/will be freaking out.

All the way through Sunday?

It's nice to hear that The Zephyr is included in someone else's list of "favorite rides"!

Does ICEE offer both Coke and Pepsi flavored drinks or just Coke flavored?

How many Arrow multi-loopers have you been on? I'm not saying I disagree, I'm just genuinely wondering.

Vortex is tolerable. One of the smoothest Arrow Dynamics multi-loopers. As i said before the front has headbanging and no pressure. But the back has no headbanging but pressure. I pick the back because id rather have pressure than headbanging

I grey out on BLSC at the top of the helices.

Vortex is one of the best rides to grey out on. Crypt, who greys out on Flight Deck... And I think once on The Crypt!

Hello, all! So, I recently got back from Florida and took the opportunity to visit Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. I hope you enjoy the pictures! This, to me, is a really cool entrance that I think would be great to see at KI (or something similar) The first ride of the day: Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit. The Rockit was really fun. I got an insane amount of air on the pretzel loop, and the songs fit the ride really well (I chose the one by Motley Crue (who's name escapes me)). Pros: The layout, the forces, the unexpected turns, the lap bars, capacity (how efficient the ride operators were, how many trains were going at a given time, etc), the moving station, the (working!) audio and lighting effects-those were sweet! Cons: Where the music selection screen was placed (it wasn't centered on the lap bar! ), the amount of MCBRs, and the borderline annoying videos in the queue-while entertaining(ish), the music and the way the people spoke was kinda getting annoying. Good thing there was only about a 20 minute max wait for the ride all day! Next up: Revenge of the Mummy! I was totally blown away by Revenge of The Mummy. I wish I could get more pictures inside, but it was too dark. Oh well. The ride itself was really cool, better than I expected. I like how the mummy warriors popped up while the room was dark. I rode this in the front, and it was amazing to see all the effects and such. The turntable effect was cool, but I didn't understand the thing moving across the wall... The brakes were pretty forceful, but it didn't hurt the overall experience. Pros: I got to sit with my entire group (4 people total in my riding group), the effects were great, there was a bit of fog on the ride (only a little bit, but why isn't this possible at Kings Island when it's obvious it works well here? ), launches were fun, the brakes were fun, and the overall feel in the queue made me feel like I was in the movie. Cons: There was only one brake section that I felt could be tamer, whichwas the one where the "ride op" says "Thank you for riding!", but overall, that is the only one I can think of! After that, we went to Richter's Burgers and got, well, burgers! My friend's friend from Utah was with us and made fry-sauce, which consisted of mayo and ketchup , but it actually tasted pretty good! At Richter's, I only bought a souvenier cup and fries. However, in the souvenier cup, I got multitudes of flavors from the Coke Freestyle Machine, like various forms of Powerade, lemonade, Coke, Diet Coke, Rootbeer, Coke Zero, Sprite, etc. It kinda tasted like gum! Next, we head to "Disaster!" I thought that these painted "holes" on the show building were actual holes in the building... Imagine the looks on all my friends' faces when I asked that! There were all these hilariously rediculous comments over the queue- I just KNEW I had to get a picture of at least one! Disaster! was really cool. The way the show is set up, is that you first are put into a large group, and a person coordinating the movie scene will ask for people in the audience to come up and be in some special action scene takes. Then you are moved into another room where you "meet" a hologram of Frank Kincaid. Then you are shuffled off into another room where the selected people are to take part in the shootings. So, naturally, my friends and I all volunteered our chaperone to take part! At the end of the "tour", we go into a shuttle monorail, where we ride along in the monorail train to the "station", where you experience flooding, roof cave ins, explosions, etc. Then, the monorail train traverses in reverse and slowly makes it back to the actual load-unload station. By slow, I mean snail-slow, but during this time, a movie trailer comes on with all the shots taken in the previous room, edited and all. It was pretty cool. Now, the effects were pretty cool, but I don't see it as something I would do again. ___________________________________________________________________ After this, we went and had dinner, pizza! You can't go to an amusement park and not have pizza... Except maybe Dollywood... After food, we rode Men in Black: Alien Attack. After having been at Universal Studios all day, I realize why everyone wants the themed uniforms back. It just adds so much more to the experience and atmosphere. The Ride: The ride is a shoot 'em up kinda game, like Boo Blasters on Boo Hill, except with less cardboard cutouts. It was like Phantom Theatre with shooting laser guns (that work!). A really unique spin was put on the ride where in certain parts of the ride, the ride vehicles (containing six shooters) spun around, and forced you to one side of your seat, thanks to the laterals. Also, a duel loading station was used, and occasionally both sides would meet up either next to or across from each other, allowing for another unique thing. Pros: Effects were superb, all the guns worked, theme was way better than generic, the spins and meetups were unique, and the "elevator" in the queue was interesting. Cons: You could obviously see the lighting fixtures illuminating the various sets. ! My score. Not bad, eh? impsons ride, which was really fun and a lot different from what I expected. Thought it was gonna be a wild mouse!(?) Since my friend's friend had to go soon, we decided to go to Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit one more time before she had to leave. This time, I chose Stronger by Kanye West, like my friend told me to do. It fit the ride well, also. We ended up riding Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit thrice during the day. We ended up having enough time to do it again, and I chose the song by Motley Crue again Well, after that, my friend's friend had to go, and would not return tomorrow for Islands of Adventure. So, we kinda just roamed the park for the remainder of the day (we had to leave at 6:30). Thanks for reading! More to come tomorrow.

<p>Hey guys, sorry this took so long. Anyways, I will try a different approach with this PTR since I took a lot more pictures. Monday morning, May 21.<br /> ____________________________________________________________________________________________________<br /> <br /> So, we parked the charter bus around 9:30, but we didn't actually set foot in the park until somewhere around 10:00 (now that I look back, I think the park itself wasn't open just yet--we thought it was ticket issues).<br /> <br /> The very first thing we headed to was <strong>Incredible Hulk</strong>. The ride wasn't open for the day just yet, so we waited for about 3 minutes whie they were still making empty test runs. This was a wonderful opportinity to get some great photos. I was getting excited from just hearing the distinct B&M roar roaring over our heads. This was one of the rides I looked forward to most, and it did not fail my expectations. I must say, the POV's on Youtube don't capture anything of what this ride experience was like. I loved the minor details that were included with the ride, like the mist, the water jets, etc. The ride was phenominal. 1 billion/10<br /> <br /> After this, we went to <strong>Storm Force Acceleration</strong>. At first, I thought that this was another motion simulator (like what almost every ride at Universal is <img alt="" class="bbc_emoticon" src="http://www.KICentral.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/default/dry.png" />), so I was a little hesitant to ride. But I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was a well-themed teacup ride! I haven't been on one of these in awhile, so my group and I went straight there! I was glad that Islands of Adventure put effort into theming an almost impossible to theme flat. 7/10<br /> <br /> It about 10:20 at this time. Some of the groups from yesterday (not ours) went to IoA when they were finished with Universal, and they reccommended "the circley raft thing". You guessed it, we were off to <strong>Popeye and Bluto's Bilge Rat Barges</strong>. This ride is the same model of ride as White Water Canyon, except instead of traversing through the woods, there are these really cool sets that we travel through (and plenty of opportunities to get soaked!). My favorite thing about this ride was that I lost track of where we were. There are so many twists and turns, you wonder why you never see any other part of the basin or the park for that matter. I didn't really like how far you have to walk back to get to the ride though (and on a cold morning with noone in line and no turnstiles open, it's really long! I just can't imagine waiting a full queue for this!) It's a great water ride, I highly reccommend it. 9/10.<br /> <br /> We liked Popeye and Bluto's Bilge Rat Barges so much, we rode it again! We weren't allowed to stay on, so we had to walk all that way AGAIN! Good exercise, though.<br /> <br /> It was about 11:30 am now. After Popeye and Bluto's Bilge Rat Barges, since we were still really wet, we figured that we might as well get all this water over with by the time we have to leave! So, we headed for <strong>Dudley Do Right's Rip Saw Falls</strong>. This log flume is very unique. Whenever we thought we reached the end, wrong! This log flume tricks you into thinking that "Here's the big one!" so much, that when it does come, you say "Oh this isn't it!" and you get a real surprise. There's a double-down, so you get some really good airtime on that drop. The theming was very good, too, all making the ride better. 8.7/10.<br /> <br /> 11:45 comes rolling along. Since Jurassic Park was nearby, I suggested that we ride Jurassic Park River Adventure. Our chaperone said we were wet enough already, so she said "maybe later". We didn't get a chance to ride. <img alt="" class="bbc_emoticon" src="http://www.KICentral.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/default/sad.png" /><br /> <br /> By now, we all wanted to go to "Harry Potter World" (I always had to correct them by saying "NO! It's the Wizarding World of Harry Potter!") We kinda just wandered over, using Jurassic Park as a walkthrough (like many do with Kings Island's Oktoberfest) to get to <strong>Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey</strong>. I must say, this <strong>is </strong>a must-ride for anyone going to Islands of Adventure. I loved how they used the Hogwarts facade, and making you go through the castle to get to the ride. I loved how the station had those endless "floating candles". The ride is a motion simulator, but not the kind of the Simpsons' Ride of likes. It's kinda like the Robotic Arm in RCT3 (wow... I can't believe I just made that reference! <img alt="" class="bbc_emoticon" src="http://www.KICentral.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif" />). It's a great ride that captures the Harry Potter world very well.10/10.<br /> <br /> It's about 12:30 now, and we decided to take a break. Someone in our group saw a stand in Hogsmeade that had pumpkin juice. She got some for her, her sister, and her friend. While we were at the stand, I saw churros! I've never had an amusement park churro before, so I decided to get a churro. I do say, those cinnamon churros taste great.<br /> <br /> It was about 1:00 now, after mozying around for a bit. I really wanted to do <strike>Dueling Dragons </strike><strong>Dragon Challenge</strong>, so we did that. It was a bit of a tossup between Hungarian Horntail and Chinese Fireball. In the end, we chose Hungarian Horntail (blue). I really wish there was an on-ride photo section for this ride, or I would get it! Oh well, I ended up getting one at the end of the day. The ride was really fun (we sat in the front row, so that made it better), I just wish that we were dueling. Would have been better. I love how the track weaves in and out of itself (dueling would have made an epic ride-- and an epic photo opportunity!) It was really smooth, and blows Raptor out of the water IMO. 7.9/10<br /> <br /> After this, we got the world famous butterbeer! I got frozen, and let me tell you, this is a must-get for an IoA trip.<br /> <br /> Since it was about 1:30 now (our group+chaperones moves slow), and we were leaving around 2-2:15, my three friends and I all picked up the pace to get to the Hulk one more time for the final ride of our day, since it was by far the general favorite ride there. We ended up getting to ride it twice, both times as amazing as before. I got a ride photo at the end of it all.<br /> <br /> <strong>Pros: </strong></p> <ul class="bbc"> <li>The park was extremely clean.</li> <li>Safety seemed paramount.</li> <li>The overall feel to the park felt like I was actually there, be it in a comic book or in Hogsmeade.</li> <li>The employees (for the most part) were great with interacting and kept great dispatch times(--someone's been trained right!).</li> <li>I did not see a single ride down at all.</li> <li>Every ride was great.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Cons: </strong></p> <ul class="bbc"> <li>None! Everything about the park was great, and I look forward to visiting IoA again at some point in the future.</li> </ul> <p>Rides I rode:</p> <ul class="bbc"> <li>The Incredible Hulk (x 3)</li> <li>Storm Force Acceleration</li> <li>Popeye and Bluto's Bilge Rat Barges (x 2)</li> <li>Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls</li> <li>Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey</li> <li>Dragon Challenge (Hungarian Horntail / Ice / Blue)</li> </ul> <p>Rides I didn't ride:</p> <ul class="bbc"> <li>Dr. Doom's Fear Fall (shot or drop)</li> <li>The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman</li> <li>Jurassic Park River Adventure</li> <li>Flight of the Hippogriff</li> <li>Poseidon's Fury</li> <li>Everything in Seuss Landing</li> </ul> <p>The crowds weren't really bad, things remained a walk on pretty much the entire day (scarce you'd find a line more than 20 min), but our group moved slow.<br /> <img src="http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t513/TheCrypt2/Universal%20Islands%20of%20Adventure%202012/DSCN0197.jpg" /><br /> <em>The Incredible Hulk</em><br /> <br /> <img src="http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t513/TheCrypt2/Universal%20Islands%20of%20Adventure%202012/DSCN0196.jpg" /><br /> <em>Incredible Hulk flare</em><br /> <br /> <img src="http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t513/TheCrypt2/Universal%20Islands%20of%20Adventure%202012/DSCN0312.jpg" /><br /> <em>Incredible Hulk sign and train in mid corkscrew.</em><br /> <br /> <img src="http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t513/TheCrypt2/Universal%20Islands%20of%20Adventure%202012/DSCN0309.jpg" /><br /> <em>I just barely missed the train in this shot. I clicked the button on my camera a moment too soon.</em><br /> <br /> <img src="http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t513/TheCrypt2/Universal%20Islands%20of%20Adventure%202012/DSCN0306.jpg" /><br /> <em>Incredible Hulk in tail end of cobra roll</em><br /> <br /> <img src="http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t513/TheCrypt2/Universal%20Islands%20of%20Adventure%202012/DSCN0304.jpg" /><br /> <em>For some reason, I love this fountain. Why? No idea.</em><br /> <img src="http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t513/TheCrypt2/Universal%20Islands%20of%20Adventure%202012/DSCN0303.jpg" /><br /> <em>Seuss Landing lamp post</em><br /> <br /> <img src="http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t513/TheCrypt2/Universal%20Islands%20of%20Adventure%202012/DSCN0301.jpg" /><br /> <em>Solar flare</em><br /> <img src="http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t513/TheCrypt2/Universal%20Islands%20of%20Adventure%202012/DSCN0288.jpg" /><br /> <em>My attempt at being artsy with the butterbeer truck</em><br /> <br /> <img src="http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t513/TheCrypt2/Universal%20Islands%20of%20Adventure%202012/DSCN0273.jpg" /><br /> <em>One of my favorite shots of the day. I love how the track from Hungarian Horntail and Chinese Fireball wrap around each other.</em><br /> <br /> <img src="http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t513/TheCrypt2/Universal%20Islands%20of%20Adventure%202012/DSCN0266.jpg" /><br /> <em>The big track mess that is Dragon Challenge.</em><br /> <img src="http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t513/TheCrypt2/Universal%20Islands%20of%20Adventure%202012/DSCN0223.jpg" /><br /> <em>Jurassic Park sign</em><br /> <br /> <img src="http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t513/TheCrypt2/Universal%20Islands%20of%20Adventure%202012/DSCN0214.jpg" /><br /> <em>I love how crazy this queue looks. I just can't imagine waiting in a full queue for any of these rides--Seriously, it's like every ride here has a Flight Deck-like line (long, empty)!</em><br /> <br /> <img src="http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t513/TheCrypt2/Universal%20Islands%20of%20Adventure%202012/DSCN0213.jpg" /><br /> <em>The unloading station for </em>Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls.<br /> <br /> <img src="http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t513/TheCrypt2/Universal%20Islands%20of%20Adventure%202012/DSCN0209.jpg" /><br /> <em>Also one of my favorite shots</em><br /> <br /> <img src="http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t513/TheCrypt2/Universal%20Islands%20of%20Adventure%202012/DSCN0201.jpg" /><br /> <em>Storm Force Acceleration.</em><br /> <br /> <img src="http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t513/TheCrypt2/Universal%20Islands%20of%20Adventure%202012/DSCN0204.jpg" /><br /> <em>I sadly did not get to ride Spidey today. I was looking forward to it (like Jurassic Park), but it built up a line right at park opening.</em><br /> <br /> <img src="http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t513/TheCrypt2/Universal%20Islands%20of%20Adventure%202012/DSCN0274.jpg" /><br /> <em>Hogwarts castle from </em>Dragon Challenge <em>queue</em><br /> <br /> <img src="http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t513/TheCrypt2/Universal%20Islands%20of%20Adventure%202012/DSCN0254.jpg" /><br /> <em>Hogwarts</em><br /> <br /> <img src="http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t513/TheCrypt2/Universal%20Islands%20of%20Adventure%202012/DSCN0218.jpg" /><br /> <em>Wish I was allowed to go on </em>Pterodon Flyers<em>... Too tall.</em></p> <p> </p>

2010 Two new attractions were added to Halloween Haunt in 2010. Wolf Pack (Son of Beast Station) - A haunted house that toured guests through a forest and into a creepy cabin, avoiding the werewolves that stalked them. Included an on-ride photo at the start. --- Half-Pint Brawlers (Festhaus) - Midget wrestling with an excessive amount of blood. Featured ring-side seating for an additional $10. --- --- Returning attractions were Slaughterhouse, Hot Blooded, Cut-Throat Cove, Urgent Scare, Cemetery Drive, Club Blood, Tombstone Terror-tory, Death Row, Trail of Terror, CarnEVIL, Massacre Manor and CornSTALKERS. Ghouls Gone Wild continued performances during the day, but ceased showings during the Haunt hours. Urgent Scare's on-ride photo was moved from the beginning of the house to the end. Club Blood received a new sign. The Beast was "hauntified" with the addition of fog and a "beast" monster. Halloween Haunt 2010 Entrance Display (via KI facebook) 2011 The most recent year for Halloween Haunt and a decent-sized one in terms of expansion. Holiday Horror (Peanuts Playhouse) - A haunted house themed to miscellaneous holidays, including Christmas, Halloween and St. Patrick's Day. Included an "on-ride photo" at the start. Nightmare Alley (Planet Snoopy) - A new scare-zone populated by carnival freaks Mysteria (Red Barn) - A rename and rethemeing of the former Death Row. Featured new lighting effects and an extensive use of Morphsuits. Fright Lane - Not an actual attraction, but instead a new service available to park guests. For an extra fee, visitors were able to shorten their wait for every haunted house/trail. Returning attractions were Club Blood, Wolf Pack, Slaughterhouse, Cut-Throat Cove, Massacre Manor, Urgent Scare, Tombstone Terror-tory, CarnEVIL, Hot Blooded and Half-Pint Brawlers. Trail of Terror did not return. Boo Blasters on Boo Hill remained open during the event and received at least four actors hidden through-out the ride and exit. Cemetery Drive was expanded from Tower Gardens to all of International Street as part of a new scare-zone. Included in this was a minor new attraction, "Buried Alive", with an upcharge of $5. CornSTALKERS was relocated to Tower Gardens. Urgent Scare lost its outdoor segment and its on-ride photo. Club Blood received a new paint job. --- ------------------------------------------------------- - 2012 A new haunted house and several new scare zones were added, as was a new dining experience and a new show. Madame Fatale's Cavern of Terror (The Crypt) - A wax museum style haunted house. Utilized various props from Phantom Theater and The Crypt. On-ride photo included at beginning. Madame Fatale's Dead Inn Feast (The Crypt) - A unique dining experience hosted before the start of Haunt and housed in the former antechamber / preshow rooms of The Crypt. Nightmare Alley (Pathway between International Street and Action Zone) - A generic scare zone with an extensive use of eyeballs. Freak Street (Planet Snoopy) - A new name for 2011's Nightmare Alley. Grimm Blvd. (Action Zone) - A steam punk fairy tale style scare zone Death Drums (Action Zone Water Tower) - A unique music show. Returning attractions were Slaughterhouse, Club Blood, Wolf Pack, Cut-Throat Cove, Massacre Manor, Mysteria, Urgent Scare, CornSTALKERS, Tombstone Terror-tory, CarnEVIL, Holiday Horror, Cemetery Drive, and Hot Blooded. Half-Pint Brawlers did not return, enabling Graveyard Shift to be performed during Haunt hours. Cut-Throat Cove was reversed, placing the entrance near Sling Shot and allowing Viking Fury to remain open at night. The queue was reworked for Tombstone Terror-tory so that guests would enter through the White Water Canyon entrance. -------------------------------- So yep. I may get around to editing and expanding this, but that's the basics right there Hope you enjoyed; feel free to leave a question or comment.