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KI strikes again! They're bringing nostalgia back to Flight Deck and Adventure Express!

IF the park actually ever opens again, barring any unforseen circumstances, I fully intend to be there opening day. I want a front row seat for the fiasco!* *Based on my one prior experience at KK, I expect nothing short of a fiasco to occur. That day ranks as one of my two worst park experiences ever. I will be completely amazed if Mr. Hart & Co., who were in charge the last time I visited, are able to provide me with a fun, safe, incident-free day... and I sincerely hope they prove me wrong.

It is going to be interesting to ride AE with an open field next to it. (again)

Part of me wishes he brought the 3-Point Challenge with him instead.

As long as you don't sink in the lazy river kind of attraction right Gator? Lol. If the park does open, I will visit for sure. Never got to visit prior to it closing.

I like, in this picture, how the closest spike of WT fits into that huge corkscrew-type element and how that mirrors the other spike and the Giant Wheel. It's a cool symmetry.

It's going to look weird now whenever I ride either Flight Deck or Adventure Express.

Well, you start of by paying the $25 registration fee, and then you have your fundraising page. The money you collect goes to Give Kids The World, which provides kids with life-threatening illnesses vacations with their families. You can ask your friends and family to help donate to your page. Once you have raised at least $75, you are able to go. The riding schudele is on the CFK website, but basically you can ride for the amount of time it lasts without getting off, and it's a lot of fun. We're also provided with lunch, a beast tour, and prizes for the top 3 fundraisers. It's a really fun event for a great cause.

Me and my dad have decided to join this year! I'm really looking forward to marathoning on Db and racer! How do you register?

My friend decided one day a few years ago to put me on Flight of Fear. I was really worried because that was before i had really ridden any thing yet and didn't know what to expect. So as we are boarding the train, just as I had closed and locked my lap bar they told my friend to get off because he was just barely under the line.I freaked out but not for long because then It launched. Now it is one of my favorites.

Of course, watching the coaster take off that fast is scary, but my first ride, I was absolutely terrified that it was going to be that fast for the entire duration, but of course, after the launch, I loved it. I was convinced that ILM was the way to go in transportation. It was dizzying. The ride I remember the most is the one after I'd racked my ribs on The Beast, before it was redone, then road FOF. The lap bar fell back too far, and caught up under my ribcage. That was the only ride I could feel when we were sideways, it hurt like heck.

That would be nice. I love lighted midways. Small improvements wouldn't cost as much as a big mondo installation, either, and would still add to the park. I know I'm not the only one that gets mesmerized by watching WindSeeker's lighting.

I think the bigger question is whether Cedar Fair will always be Cedar Fair...in the big scheme of things, a market cap of (approximately) $2B isn't a lot if you're a REIT or private equity company looking to make a deal.

The then General Manager of Kings Island transferred to Carowinds. The Flying Eagles went with him. Terp, choosing his words with care.

What are the chances we will see more theming hit the park in 2013? Little things like the LED's on Backlot, music on rides, and more lights would do wonders on a couple rides.

For the right price, everything is for sale.

Gatekeeper may fall into the category of a "Parking Lot Coaster" but it's the most absolutely stunning Parking Lot Coaster I've ever seen. After seeing some of the most recent pictures showing the completed Key Hole Loop I'm certain that choosing this specific coaster and incorporating it into the front gate of the park will prove to be one of the best decisions made by the park in years. With the lift on the beach, the flyover through the keyhole doubling as the entrance to the park, and the grassy tree lined turn around, it's really not much more a Parking Lot Coaster than say Magnum or Gemini.

I'm getting to the point where I can barely fit my knees under the seat restraints as I'm getting in. I absolutely love the ride, though. I totally freaked out my little brother last year by asking him where all the people went right before we got on.

^ I think you could make some rides work at this park. There could definitely be some coasters, maybe the names would have to be the theme and not the ride itself, you could definitely do a kids' area, and dark rides would be awesome!

Yeah, I got the ones at HW to snap on time. I even got it high enough to hit a tree limb, but once and only once. Nowhere close any other ride cycle. I think the wind was blowing at just the right time or something?

Wow... What an old topic! Almost sounds like... A diversion....

He's spending 90 days deciding whether to go ahead and attempting to get financing with no state monetary guarantees.

To me, Kentucky Kingdom is in an awkward spot because its right between two big highways. Its going to take a lot of TLC to revamp that park

I've noticed that this thread and Kings Island's "photo of the day" have mirrored each other at times!

I saw some snow on the grounds of KI. Could it mean Winterfest be returning?

I also would like to point out that in addition to the already stated admissions tax to amusement park, this sales tax would apply to services as well. It specifically lists architectural services rendered by architects and architecture firms. That will have a direct impact on me if it forces people to take their business outside the state of Ohio. I work full time at an architecture firm in downtown Cincinnati.

The flaw with that theory is as follows. Business people are business people to do one thing... and one thing only.... make money. IF said sales tax is lowered on said park merchandise and food, dont think for a Brooklyn second that CF, the Cincinnati Reds, Joe's Bowling Alley, etc etc WON'T add that lower price right back onto the unit price on the back end to put that extra few cents in their pockets. In doing this, they can say "Look at how GREAT we are!! We didnt pass the higher taxes onto you, the consumer, because our prices didnt go up". Well, yes they did, you as a business owner simply added a bit more to your personal pocketbook. One thing to consider, corporations don't "pay" taxes, their customers do. Coke pays taxes every year based upon their revenue, land holdings, etc... Those taxes are factored into what they charge us the consumers for a bottle of Coke. Procter & Gamble pay taxes every year based upon all the 1,000s of things they sell. Those taxes are factored into what they charge for Tide and everything else. GM pays taxes on cars, those taxes are factored into what they charge the dealer to purchase their car (the dealer then in turn factors into his price what he charges us for his taxes) Its obviously not quite that simple, but keep in mind that the Reds, Cedar Fair, Joe's Bowling alley, etc... are already paying taxes to the state of ohio each year. Those taxes are factored into what they charge for admission, a game of bowling, shoe rentals,etc.... You may not see a "tax" line item on your bill every time you buy a Reds ticket, but make no mistake, there are taxes figured into what you're paying for a pair of moon deck seats on a saturday afternoon. In a smilar vain, many like to say that you get "free pop" everytime you go to holiday world. You may not be charged for soda during the day, but that cost of all the soda has been factored into your admission ticket and you are indeed paying for that privledge no matter if you decide to take advantage of it or not.

Antique Cars and Flying Eagles are family friendly...

There is always the possibility that the bigger thrills will stay a few hours north. KI is really more of a family park as it is currently constituted anyway. With an award winning kids area and a number of family friendly rides and coasters. There are seven roller coasters that one could argue are family friendly along with pretty much every flat minus Drop Tower, Delirium, and WindSeeker. Is it crazy to think that they may continue to embrace this aspect of the park and add something that isn't a shiny new B&M/Intamin monster? Isn't something more along the lines of Shoot the Rapids or a family friendly dark ride just as likely? I think Ouimet is very aware that in park spending is where parks are going to have to look to increase revenues, as attendance across the board has been relatively flat the last few years. Who spends the most in the park during their visits? Families.

Personally I would love to see Ohio as a right to work state. Why should I be forced to join a union as a requirement to get a job? Many do not realize it but Kings Island used to have a union for its maintenance employees. When I was hired into maintenance full time back in September of 1973, I had to joint the Bartenders Union (yes bartender) as a condition of working. Thankfully they were decertified later on and now there is no union for full time maintenance workers. It is the same with Kroger's. I recently took a job as a bagger at minimum wage and had to join their union, but due to an injury, could not work there. But the governor is wanting to increase products and services charging a sales tax rather than increasing employees state income tax. He is wanting to lower the sales tax rate some and same with the income tax most likely. Cities charge a tax on motel and hotel stays as a way to pay for services and or new construction. You can be sure this list of services and products being taxed will be revised.

looks great so far to me. IMG_1221 by KIC-Original, on Flickr

My experiences on FoF range from "OUTSTANDING!!, to "Did someone just hit me in the head with a sledgehammer?" Really hated the OTSR, much better ride without them. Always ride it when we go, just never know how we'll feel when we get off. I've heard the ride experience can be greatly affected by "wheel wear". Not a ride mechanic, but sounds feasible?

Flight of Fear has always had a special place in my heart. It was my first looping coaster and for that reason it is still one of my favorite rides anywhere. It's hard to beat that first launch and the following cobra roll. I most recently rode it this summer and after riding Rock n' Rollercoaster at Disney World was a bit disapointed in terms of theming. (But what was i expecting? It's KI not DW) But the experience of zooming through the dark upside down is always great!

Well, I think Flight of Fear is awesome and is always a great ride. This past season, I actually closed my eyes on FoF to try to experince what it must have been like when the main part of the ride building was pitch black. It was pretty crazy. I also like the line video, the saucer and all the retro computers and other technology. Basically, I think the whole experince is pretty cool. EDIT: I do actually remember my first ride was on a limited operation day, so FoF was one of the only "big" rides open. I was scared (as I'd never been on an indoor coaster before), but I enjoyed it.

I started riding Flight of Fear not very long after I started riding Vortex. My first ride on it was during a KI trip on Tuesday, August 17, 2010. I was wanting to ride Firehawk, but it was having a technical delay, so I opted to ride FoF and then Firehawk. I still remember watching the pre-show while waiting in a 20-25 minute line. I was riding in the front seat. When I heard the "All clear!" I was getting anxious, but I knew it wouldn't be as scary as I thought. When the train launched, I screamed all the way up until the cobra roll; I even forgot all about the ride photo being taken in the launch tunnel! Throughout the first part I was saying "Oh my goodness gracious!!" as the train was twirling through near total darkness with only a few lights lighting part of the way. The ride was really exciting, and at the end, the left corkscrew caught me off guard. FoF obviously goes through its single corkscrew at a faster speed than Vortex does when traveling through its double corkscrew. After that exciting adventure on FoF, I joined the 20 minute long line for Firehawk and rode it for the first time, in the fourth row in the far right. Had another great ride....

My first ride was in 2003 I think, with one of my best friends. He'd convinced me to finally get up the nerve to ride The Vortex that day, since I didn't ride many of the coasters at that point. Once I rode it, I was hooked, so we proceeded to ride every coaster in the park that day. We barely made it before the line cutoff that night for FoF, and we waited for about an hour. It was worth it, though - the rush of the launch was awesome the first time (and still is, really).

^I say that since Vortex is no longer visible on that webcam, they're trying to hide the fact that it's sinking. *DISCLAIMER: Vortex is not actually sinking. This post is an attempt at humor and should in no way be taken seriously.

No. This is a parking lot coaster. Gatekeeper is not even comparable to bland, un-original coasters, like this.

The road on the far left is the access road that was between the lift hill and the hills after the drop out of the station To the right of the road on the far right was where the first drop and loop were. The dirt at the bottom of the photo is were the helix after the loop used to be. Cant wait to see this area maybe 5 years from now.

And we have the results! Top Ten: 1. El Toro - Six Flags Great Adventure 2. T Express - Everland 3. Voyage - Holiday World 4. Boulder Dash - Lake Compounce 5. Phoenix - Knoebel's 6. Balder - Liseburg 7. Ravine Flyer II - Waldameer 8. Dauling Dragons (Left Track) - Happy Valley 9. Dauling Dragons (Right Track) - Happy Valley 10. Colossus - Heide Park KI's Wooden Coasters: 47. The Beast 100. Racer 153. Woodstock Express Complete results can be found here: http://www.ushsho.com/woodrollercoasterpollresults2012.htm It also looks as if the steel poll will return this year as well!

Yeah, I've noticed how obsessed most of you guys are about spelling & grammar...I like people to use it correctly too, but, it's not like we're gonna say "YOU DIDN'T CAPATLIZE THE FIRST LETTER OF THE SENTENCE! That's against TOS. Banned forever!" - that's being very nitpicky...

Except that the Terms of Service require posters to use proper spelling and grammar. It's the very first item on the page. If you still have a problem with people correcting others' spelling, take it up with the admins. We're just enforcing the TOS as they stand. But really?? Come on? Its not like he is writing his essay for the SAT or anything. He is on an online forum. Its not that bad. I find it just as annoying when Im trying to see what people are talking about for future plans for the park and its hidden by people correcting the way someone writes. Let it go.

Here we go again! Stop judging people for how they spell,put two and two together. I sucked at English and spelling and still make a smack load of money.If you want to be a school teacher thats great,my parents are,but i know what hes saying, so just let it go! Makes me sick when i read everyone correcting each others grammar! Doesnt pay my bills,and like i said,im not hurting!

The first time I rode it, it took my breath away. Literally. It was my first launched coaster besides BLSC and I wasn't expecting it to be as fast as it was. Once I got off, I was really dizzy. Even though it scared the living out of me, I rode it multiple times afterwards. I love the effects, but I wish they would reshoot the movie they play in the queue, because it's getting outdaded (if not already). I also wish they would increase the volume inside the building because the only time you can really hear the music is on the brake run.

I was in line for for DB the last day and the 2 guys in front of me were clearly some kind of maintenance workers(they kept talking about random coworkers working on various rides etc.) and i heard them say that DB only runs if the temp is over 40 degrees. Random interesting thing to know.

Far as I know it's always been about temperature during startup. Once the ride is running it shouldn't matter. Always been the case with the other coasters, not sure why Diamondback would be different.

I think it has more to do with the lubricants solidifying. AZ Kinda Guy, care to chime in?

What I have been told is. The ride can not start until the temp is above 40. If the temp does fall below 40 after a couple hours of operation the ride can still function unless the temp falls below 30. This is just what I have heard.

I think that they meant in the mornings. They didn't open DB for ert Sunday till after 12 pm i believe. Those guys could of been ride ops too. The ride ops know that stuff as well.

This is true. Or is it? HTCO, running for the azdoor.