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I would just like to take a minute and thank the people in Slaighterhouse and Grimm. This was the first year I have worked the Haunt and both places made me feel very welcomed. I will miss you all until next year and always remember .......... CHAINSAW!!!!!!!!!!!

We should do a ticketed event next year...

If that doesn't confirm that a new coaster will be built there, I don't know what would.

I never understood why people complain about hearing rides at nearby amusement parks. Generally the theme park was there first (because they usually build in rural areas that later become developed.) So why would people buy a home near a theme park and get mad when you can hear it? I would understand if you lived there before it was built, but hardly that is the case. The same reason you can find instances of the residents of new subdivisions in at least 2 places in Indiana banding together and bringing forth lawsuits attempting to close race tracks that have been in operation for 50+ years. We now live in a world where people make uninformed choices and then expect everyone else to change, move or accommodate so that their ideal can be maintained, regardless of the cost (financial or otherwise) to everyone else. Just my cynical 2 cents!

Why would anyone in their right mind spend the $$$ to tear out half a million dollars of building, concrete, footers, walking paths for the que, exits, etc, then spend the same, if not more in 201(3? 4?) money to rebuild the same thing? I would much rather they invest that money in the new ride, in redoing/retheming Action Zone as a whole, a new flat ride somewhere else, anything but waste it.

It isn't just you. I think it makes the park look cheap. The park might be reusing the structure (a la The Bat station). How does this come off as cheap?

^I believe that it's removed during Haunt to avoid confusion with its queue line being used for Club Blood.

Thank you for joining our twisted family! We have fun, but it's hard to believe it's already over. Until next year!

That display actually saddened me seeing them under those sheets.

Best review of Slaughterhouse I've heard yet.. I'm proud to say that I was part of the "Apocalypse Now territory". Those of us in back of the house are like Mama's red headed step-child... She loves us and we love her.. But she doesn't quite know what to do with us.. We're the black sheep of the Slaughterhouse family (which is saying A LOT).

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

There is doubtless a master plan. Worry not.

It isn't just you. I think it makes the park look cheap. The park might be reusing the structure (a la The Bat station). How does this come off as cheap? You forget the context. Using it as a Haunt attraction is cheap; reusing it for a ride isn't.

In Ohio? Uh, no.

It isn't just you. I think it makes the park look cheap.

Much of that could also be said that were it not for Paramount's insistence that the coaster be the tallest, fastest and only looping wooden coaster on the planet the coaster would have been far more reliable, safe and comfortable. In jest there is truth...,

...and because there were more employees than guests in the park, and most of the latter were season pass holders. You can bet if multi-thousands were enjoying that cold, drizzly day the park would not have closed early.

No, it's pretty terrible.

Have any photos of these updates? They sound neat.

If this was rct, everyone would be walking like zombies.

Noooo!! Wrong Beast ride to dismantle! Wrong Beast ride!!!

(NOTE: I feel like it's safe to divulge Haunt "spoilers" now that the season's over, but just in case... Here be spoilers!) For me, it's coherency in theme. For instance, I just got done posting this in the "Son of Beast roller coaster to be removed" thread: And really, that's the biggest thing for me. Like, it's easier for me to overlook below average scares (quantity or quality) if either the set or its actors still play up the theme. In cases like Madame Fatale's, the set was so well done that pretty much all most scareactors had to do to freak me out was move or give a shriek, regardless of how close they were physically to me. I still can't get over how eerie and unsettling it was the first time through to descend into the wax workshop and into the tight hallway of bagged wax figures with the lights flickering all over the place. All it took for me to jump out of my skin was one of the bagged wax figures to quickly step forward and chase someone in front of me. And when you get to the end where the hallway is walled by black cheesecloth curtains, the effect of having even one person on the other side to shriek when they turn the lights beyond the curtains is simple but so effective. KI really did well with this one, so I'm very satisfied that, if something had to replace The Crypt, it was Cavern of Terror. In cases like Tombstone Terror-tory, the set is minimal, so it's up to the scareactors to carry the theme. That's why I generally liked TTT back in 2009-2010 but felt it really lacked something this year. The Wally theme mentioned in the quote held the whole thing together much better, and the actors on the trail encouraged the theme by saying things like "Wally's gonna get you!" Even if saying things like that seems cheesy, it adds something extra and brings the victims' imaginations along for the ride, which is key, at least for me. It sets you on edge, which only enhances the scares to come. This year had the surprise factor of the train "robbery," but it never went any further than that. If people were set on edge by a scary growl of "get off the train," the moment was lost by making them immediately stand in another line. And if the fear factor of the robbery somehow lasted through that line, the "theme" only robbed the scareactors on the trail of any purpose, which lowered the adrenaline. It would be different if the actors were strategically placed robbers (in similar costume to those from the train) attempting to recapture you, but they weren't; they were the same townspeople costumes from every other year. So, within the context of a train robbery, why are there grumpy townsfolk growling at me? Is that their way of helping me escape? Are they trying to help the robbers? I don't know. For a trail as long as Tombstone Terror-tory with the added attraction of using the train, this year felt like they dropped the ball. I don't like being that blunt about it, but that's how it felt. I'd rather see them return the Wally theme or move Wolf Pack there, with the train story changing to something like "There have been sightins of creatures in these parts. You might call 'em werewolves. They've been pillagin' our villages and killin' our families for years. But we made a deal with 'em. If we offer 'em humans every once in a while, they'll settle on down and leave us alone. And right about here--" the train stops-- "is where we usually leave their snacks. Awful sorry 'bout your luck." (Obviously, it'd be more elaborate than that, but you get the gist. ) The wooded setting and minimal props would more or less lend themselves to the theme, because the entire point would then be that you're stranded out in the middle of the woods, surrounded by bloodthirsty werewolves, and you're trying to get back to society. And then the scareactors, dressed as wolves like this year, don't have to work to carry the theme, because literally all they need to do is growl and scare like they do now to keep it going. Just my take on it! Slaughterhouse and Cut-Throat Cove are probably the best example of theme coherency. The sets are good, but the scareactors really make it great. Slaughterhouse is eerie enough by itself, but what throws that haunt over the top on average is the fact that the actors really get creative. They hide in the lockers, they make references to Momma, they tell you you look delicious, and then they try to recapture the runaway snacks with a chainsaw before it's done. Cut-Throat Cove is more cool than scary, but I think it does a lot for that house that the actors at least attempt accents for the whole thing. The location on the pond makes it all that much more believable, too. Urgent Scare was also pretty good at this in most years (excluding 2011--the removal of the outdoor section removed something special from it, though I can't put my finger on what.) I never got a chance to go through it this year, so I can't comment on the 2012 version. In contrast, Cornstalkers, which had been one of my favorite haunts back when it was by Invertigo/Drop Tower, is still suffering from its excessive length. The simple trick of blending into the corn is effective in small portions, but ever since it took over Tower Gardens, it's gotten a little monotonous. On top of that, the scareactors really haven't taken advantage of their costumes when I've been through since the move. Few will either 1.) bury themselves within the corn and emerge quickly or 2.) stand on the scarecrow stands, which seems like the whole point of the thing to me. The actors usually have just hidden behind the boxes and then popped out and growled, which isn't very effective when everyone's doing it. On top of that, the width of the Tower Gardens paths eliminates the claustrophobic nature of the trail, making having to walk uncomfortably by the scarecrow stands with a figure looming overhead obsolete--you can just regain your personal bubble on the other side of the path and march on. I can't decide I'd rather the move it to a smaller path or have it return to its original FearFest job as a scare zone. If it would become a scare zone again, I'd say replace Nightmare Alley with it. Overall, Haunt was still pretty great this year. This is just my two cents.

They were floating? I bet that was eerie.

Great PTR malem! It's great to see some of the newer members getting together and meeting some of the older members here. I'd love to see another KIC event. I got to attend RWCW a few years back and I got to meet some really cool people, and the opportunity to meet more of you is one I would love to take advantage of!

Malem is right. Don said the station will be saved and used for the Wolf Pack haunted attraction for KI Haunt. What they use it for during the summertime, he didn't say as of yet!

I'm betting on April 27, as much as I hope it's earlier. I graduate college on that day, and I'm trying to think of some way to balance maximizing my day at KI with my excitement to graduate. (At the moment, I'm trying to convince my family that, upon receiving my diploma, I should be allowed to do a quadruple back flip onto a motorcycle and speed off into the distance to KI, but they don't seem to like that idea yet. I'm hoping they'll warm up to it eventually.)

Putting a path underneath of Adventure Express? Is this Roller Coaster Tycoon?

I never understood why people complain about hearing rides at nearby amusement parks. Generally the theme park was there first (because they usually build in rural areas that later become developed.) So why would people buy a home near a theme park and get mad when you can hear it? I would understand if you lived there before it was built, but hardly that is the case.

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

From what I remember, they own somewhere along the lines of 360 acres with only 160 of it being "developable." I'm sure you could find that with the search option. My friends parents live in a subdivision behind the park and they love the fireworks every night in the summer. To each their own.

I'd rather see them inside the Crypt building actually set up and working. For good!

I'd rather see a forklift gently carrying Beast cars to their happy hybernation than to see them strewn about by the fury of nature. Wait... who talks like that? ...I need to stop listening to art rock!

"What specifically about the inversion caused the problems?" A lawyer could argue that the loop is at fault here. 1. If not for the LOOP, perhaps a more reliable vendor could have designed and built KI's 2000 coaster 2. If not for the LOOP being 118 feet tall (and in the middle of the ride), the coaster could have been smaller, and therefore perhaps designed by a more reliable vendor 3. If not for the LOOP being 118 feet tall (and in the middle of the ride), the trains could have been lighter, and might not have beat up the track so badly 4. If not for the LOOP, the coaster could have possibly run standard, more comfortable trains 5. If not for the putting all of their eggs in the LOOP, the designers might have designed a more thrilling, well rounded coaster So you see your honor, even though the LOOP was the smoothest, most trouble free part of the coaster, the LOOP is actually behind all of the problems. -Buckeye Brad, who is not really being serious but showing how easy it is to invert the truth.

Do you realize how long this path would be?? Exactly! You'd be able to get to X-base in the same amount of time by going around through Coney Mall. Why anyone would think this is a good idea is beyond me.

You're right; that makes it all better.

I miss the days when it opened early to mid-April. I remember being at the park on April 9th before. Then again, I remember one opening day when the park closed at 12pm, only two hours after opening because it was cold and drizzly.

I'm really not. Aside from the obvious terrain issues that would add to the overall cost and the fact that its way too long, there are access roads that would need to be re-routed. The service point going from the bottom of the hill (where guests would queue up for Trail of Terror) would have to go all the way around Dinosaur's Alive, the nearest adjacent point being the fireworks site. Not to mention, maintenance crews would have a difficult time getting their vehicles into areas such as Firehawk, Flight of Fear, The Racer, Adventure Express, and Delirium while the park is open since there is a path blocking them in.

As for this path idea, it's a terrible one.

I heard Maestro taunting guests a few times over the PA system.

Wow, we all look freakishly cold on Diamondback! Great trip report!

Here's a general topography of the area from Google Earth: While it's tough to see, the track on the middle-right side of the picture is Adventure Express and the shadowy building in the distance is FOF. Now, unless you want to want to walk down and up that big downgrade, I wouldn't want a path going down that way. Plus, it would subtract even more from Adventure Express's experience.

^Floating around the website, not the park, heh.

I can't believe I missed a Beast tour!! And eating in the Festhaus? I missed that too? Sheesh... Any ways, my first ride on Sling Shot was great. I was easily caught off guard by the rocking back and forth (when it wasn't flipping) but it was really fun! And it was really nice to meet a few fellow KICers!

Since a new ride doesn't seem to be in KI's 2013 future, I will be happy with improvements much like the park got at the beginning of this season. Recently, I noticed Beast Canyon was painted on the mine entrance by the exit ramp on The Beast. I also noticed some more themeing put on the carts by the stairs in FoF. Little things like that are awesome and I hope more improvements are coming our way for 2013.

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

It reminds me of a traveling carnival. One day, a parking lot is a wonderland of lights, sounds, laughter and music. Delighted, but blissfully ignorant of schedules, you return In 24 hours, only to witness a lone, discarded popcorn wrapper dancing on the cold, empty wind as it flutters and flips along the barren blacktop. It's kind of sad, really, but you know that it will all be back sooner than you think.

Thank you again coasterbob62!

Really not much left of Son of Beast. Just the lift and some track. Sorry the picture was taken with my cell.

Loved the comment the eifel tower, the dodgem. Remember history the Eifel tower was going to replace a very famous ride the Lost River ( I do believe it was that ride to add to the park . When the flooding occured again then the sell to TAFT they moved the attraction (the pieces ) to be the center piece of the park. Dodgems lets remove it the thrill seekers don't enjoy it. Why is disney great it trys to cater to the imagineers, the thrilleneers, the joyful generationaleers, and so many more. A great park is not just coasters, its the smell, the tastes, the sights, the games, the memories. I'm a rollercoaster lover, but love the other stuff too, I don't see WindSeekers going anywhere unless a settlement would be made by the manufactures'. Wow!

I'd go even further. If a guest assaults a park employee or other guest, (s)he should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. No exceptions.