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As one of Mr. Kinzel's harshest critics, I truly wish him a long, happy and prosperous retirement. His early efforts built Cedar Fair into a powerhouse. For that, we should be thankful. And the man loved a good coaster, or several dozen. He had great faith in the maxim "If you build it, they will come."

My first time up there in 16 years.

I'll let others talk about Gatekeeper, I shall talk about what else is new in the park. Only the front half was accessible, therefore TTD and Gemini midways and Frointertown and Trail were not reviewed. For those who were there I was in the black DAFE shirt. Rides Corkscrews trains were repainted with red and blue on track. The words Corkscrew and Cedar Point remain on the lead car, however the design on the nose is missing. Millennium Force has finished it's three year repaint, the first hill is so blue now. Cedar Downs new floor looks nice and some of the horses have been touched up. Foods The biggest change was the drink provider, which plastered it's name on several food stands. The most notable is the nacho stand next to Scrambler is now red and called Coca-Cola Refresh station. Coke freestyle may be found at Midway Market and the former Spiral fudge. Spiral candy is now a make your own frozen yogurt sundae place and Transport Refreshments is now Lakeside Express. Several Food locations have new TV screen type menus. Pretzel Gourmet near scrambler is now Auntie Annes. Souvenir Cup system is the same size, original price and deal as KI. Miscellaneous New signs in restrooms telling patrons to text park if bathroom needs service. (Wildcat bathrooms are still that but Spiral was renamed Gatekeeper.) There are no turnstiles at Main Gate, they are using new technology mounted to the ceiling. Main Gate Guest Relations is bigger, better, brighter than the old one. There is no walkway from Preferred lot to Main Gate, one has to walk to main lot than back. Pavilion one is no longer usable, and three was demolished. I could not figure how to get to what remains of two and four (fully intact). Gatekeeper Does have bins Gift shop is nice and deceptively big. The area is really opened up, Trokia looks nicer without a box behind it. That is all I have for right now, If I think of anything else, I shall post it.

^ You go to Kings Island and you LIKE IT!

Prob tomorrow - not looking good for today tho. I will prob hold out till tomorrow morning unless it dries up around 7 like my boy Frank Marzullo is saying its going to. The rain stopped 20 minutes ago, and there are no lines anywhere but Flight of Fear. Just rerode the front seat of beast twice.EDIT: Flight of Fear is also a walk-on.

Do any of these "new" members even bother to read the TOS anymore? SMH.

This makes me sad. He was my favorite part of Dinosaurs Alive.

U wot m8? I'm sorry, but this seems like a troll attempt. I just have a question, real quick...why do you always write like you're Australian? lol...

The comments are hilarious. Apparently someone thinks he owns Dick's Sporting Goods.

You can totally talk about Gatekeeper if you want. I wouldn't mind.

Well, today was the beginning of my weekend in Sandusky with Zach (TTD-120-420). Media day was incredible. Things ran smoothly, the press conference was amazing to listen to, and it was a beautiful day. Oh, and Gatekeeper, Here are my thoughts on Cedar Point's newest addition: First off, I would like to rescind any qualms or concerns I had about this ride. I was very questioning all throughout construction and what not, and I would like to take a minute to say that I feel like a fool for that. This ride is incredible. We rode it 17 times today, in nearly every seat on the train. In terms of which side I prefer, the right is better. The wing-over with everything falling out from under you is miraculous, and there seem to be more exciting moments on that side. The best rides were in the front row, but the back isn't too bad either. In terms of the actual ride and layout, this ride is a menace. It is violent yet smooth. The valleys have incredible G-Forces (I even started to grey out, and I never do that). The keyhole is unreal. The second zero-g-roll is slow, but that makes it much better. This ride, if it were at KI, would be the best ride in the park. Overall, this ride is something that everybody needs to experience. This ride is beautiful as well. The colors, the lights, and everything else you could imagine were miraculous. The train's eyes were lit up, and even the photo booth and gift shop had a beautiful mural on the walls. The B&M roar we all know was nearly nonexistent, which helps at the front gate. The lakeside view only makes it that much better. Gatekeeper Plaza looked really good today, and the keyholes were incredible to look at in the dark. Once the grass grows, this will be incredible to ride. Another thing that really impressed me, was that there were no bins for bags and stuff in the morning, but they were installed by the afternoon. Talk about efficiency! Also, this ride is the most photogenic that I have ever seen; even more so than Vortex. I don't believe you can take a bad picture of Gatekeeper. There were only a few negatives about the ride itself. The biggest, in my opinion, was that the shoulder harnesses really tightened throughout the ride. It got to the point where it was almost painful. Also, the camelback airtime hills didn't really deliver any airtime, unless you sat in the very back row. Ultimately, this is not a ride I could marathon, because it is rather violent for a B&M. It shakes and jerks quite a bit and the G-Forces are intense. These are the only negative things I can find about this ride. The new front entrance is incredible, day or night. The buildings look nice, and the keyholes massive. The new flat screens looked good today as well. Unfortunately, the seagulls have already begun their attack on the new ride and entrance. Oh, and riding a ride at sunrise is way cooler than riding at sunset. And Trent Richardson, running back for the Browns, was on a train with us! Later on in the day they opened up Raptor and Millennium Force for us as well, which was great of them. I can't say enough about the friendliness of the employees, from Mr. Ouimet himself to the young lady serving us our food. I was impressed. And free lunch and breakfast was nice as well. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I believe Zach will post some pictures on here later tonight! Thanks for reading- stay tuned for the rest of the weekend!

All cool things start out as a muddy pond. Proof? Florida.

Thanks Tb!!! IMG_5247 by ki_faerie_wench, on Flickr Well had 4 spectacular days at SeaWorld, despite the rain the first couple days. Shockingly? I managed roughly around 5,000+ pictures, and as one of my LA friends put it "for you when it comes to SeaWorld that's not enough" Gee thanks, dude. The first day we pulled up to a quiet and extremely rainy SeaWorld. The rain did make seeing the animals more interesting as the dolphins and orcas love it when it rains anyway... they were all playing in the rain. During one of the morning breaks from rain I got my first ride on the Manta and oh my goodness I loved it! It started out kind of meh, but after the second launch is where it actually got me, and there were some great moments of airtime too which I loved. By afternoon it started to clear to partly cloudy and warmed up considerably, and I remembered my biggest gripe with SWC, and that's lack of shade. This was also the only day I did Wild Arctic, not a fan of the ride itself, the belugas at the exit I always find more interesting, and from a photographer standpoint I like the SWC exhibit better cause its has better lighting than the Orlando park. On the other hand though....belugas naturally love dark arctic waters so the exhibit at Orlando in that aspect is best, but its such a pain in the arse to get any decent shots at This was also my first time seeing the "baby" luga named Pearl and she was stinkin' cute. XD The One Ocean show was really good, kind of sucks though the SWC show is a couple minutes shorter than SWT and SWF, it was good to see Shouka again too (have not seen Shouka since she was living at SFWoA) and she looks great. I do like the Blue Horizons show better here than Orlando's, much more improvement, albeit SWF had theirs for about 5 years longer but I still prefer the San Diego's show. Was kind of bummed they didn't bring out Argo (the male Pilot recently transferred from Kamagowa SeaWorld Japan) in the show, been dying to see him in person, thankfully they brought him out after the show for a couple behaviors while patrons exited the stadium! Pilot whales are among my favorite cetaceans. The second day wasn't as rainy as it only drizzled and lasted bout an hour after park opening. By noon I was even getting bit of a sunburn...I had a reservation with Dine with Shamu on this day so 1pm was at that. last time I got to partake in a DWS was 2009 at Orlando so this was my first time at San Diego. I actually do love SW's food in some ways better than KI's o_o I had totally forgotten there was a Skyride at this park! Before Manta was built that was kind of real dead area of the park so I never usually ventured there too much, and is it just me or are there fewer of these rides now? Didn't go on it that day, but I took some pics of it. One Ocean show was better because Kasatka and her new 3 month old baby got to participate in it! I hadn't seen a killer whale calf that young in well over a decade which made it so neat watching him mimic momma, big brother, and sister. Before leaving the park for the day I caught a showing at the Sealion and Otter Stadium, and those guys never cease to amaze me, was dying of laughter. I always loved seeing the Clyde & Seamore Shows at the Ohio park growing up, California sea lions are really smart animals. SeaWorld seems like they are trying to make Oppa Gangnam Style popular again with that show... *facepalm* The third day I got my rides in at Skytower (made me miss Space Spiral), Skyride, final ride on Manta and the Journey to Atlantis. I have mixed emotions for JTA, kind of prefer Orlando's personally. I loved the view of the marina's from Skyride, having grown up in the Lake Erie region, so we spent a lot of time around the lake itself and the boats, I was loving the view entirely. The One Ocean show was interesting. Looks like they installed news gates at the Shamu facility so the trainers no longer need to open the gates by hand anymore, it appears the gates had gone wacky considering while they were setting up the shows with orcas they were using for it. At one point after sending mom, calf, Orkid and Kalia to the back the gate reopened and every orca at the park zoomed into the show pool minus Corky. It looked like a party there for a moment. The gates reopened, everyone went back...the gate opened again, the baby went into the show pool alone and the gate closed right behind him! Didn't take long for miss Kasatka and Kalia (calf's big sister) to notice he was missing so both girls sat at the gate screeching and vocalizing. After a couple minutes they started to get really PO'ed and Kalia began to ram into the gates which created a loud rattling noise that echoed in the stadium. They finally got the gate to open and the calf returned to them. Kasatka is one female that is not accustomed to being away from any of her kids for a lengthy period of time so you could see the semi angry and worried looks on the trainers faces. The entire stadium was filled with "aawwwwww"'s over the calf swimming and leaping about at the gate by himself and then it became loud gasps when Kalia smacked the gates.The show was primarily carried by the bulls when the family got reunited so it was nifty seeing giant bulls doing this show xp After One Ocean we went to Pets Rule, and out of all the shows in the park, I think this one delivers one of the best messages. It always upsets me how people dump kitties and doggies off at shelters once they outgrown the kitten/puppy stages, in other words....no longer are cute. All the animals featured at Pets Rule were basically victims of that as they are all shelter animals. The story attached to Kelsey (one of the kitties) was a rather touching one, she been calling the San Diego park home for the last 6 years and they brought her out to be petted by patrons after the show. I saw a happy kitty there, with little to no assistance from her trainer allowing all them hands to stroke her and loving every minute of it. That's one very tolerant cat. A side note...I got a nifty sunburn on my face, shoulders and arms from the trip Anyway....that's what I remember more clearly, LOL. Here are some pics: IMG_6427 by ki_faerie_wench, on Flickr IMG_7901 by ki_faerie_wench, on Flickr IMG_9084 by ki_faerie_wench, on Flickr IMG_0722 by ki_faerie_wench, on Flickr IMG_0589 by ki_faerie_wench, on Flickr Shouka by ki_faerie_wench, on Flickr Calf by ki_faerie_wench, on Flickr Angry mom and sister, see Kalia up against the gate Kasatka and Kalia by ki_faerie_wench, on Flickr

Dr. Evil when he reads this thread....

Hard at work before the storms hit. (If anyone else is here and sees me, say hi.)

So what you are saying is that Cedar Point gets Sigourney Weaver and KI gets Rick Moranis? I call raw deal on that one.

That's a real lengthy walk if you want to reride.

Sorry if thi is messed up uploading from my phone

Nice report PT! Thanks for posting!

Now Trending: #AlreadyATopic #UseDaSearch make sure before posting that there isn't already a topic about it. http://www.KICentral.com/forums/index.php?/topic/27281-WindSeeker/

Delirium is technically in Action Zone. https://www.visitkingsisland.com/rides/Thrill-Rides-12-14-11-44/Delirium Also Viking Fury is in Oktoberfest: https://www.visitkingsisland.com/rides/Family-Rides/Viking-Fury

^ And, I bet it was more enjoyable than you thought it would be.

Given that is a requirement...

What an absolute clusterf*ck these rides have been. I'll be surprised if they last more than five years.

http://www.sanduskyregister.com/article/cedar-point/3707591

OK, I absolutely must agree with this entire statement. From 2004/5 on, he can stick it where the Sun don't shine, but prior to that I Respect... and am thankful for... what he did.

That video is scary!

AE's "hastily-constructed" mine train appearance works just fine au naturel.

Media day wouldn't be the best judge of that...

For the first year or two. When theming stuff broke, it was seldom fixed. Terp, strong supporter of Paramount Parks, but also a truth-teller, even when it hurts.

It looks like this may have future footers in the Adventure Express area. I wonder if they'll have to close it to do such work.

Because I remember, eidetically, the Van McCoy flash mob and retro-uniform crepe-paper rose sales of the 2008 Knievel Jump, I must ask: Will someone be serving Porkchops and Applesauce during next Sunday's "Brady Bunch" visit? There, I did it. [Runs for the door]

Because Kings Island is not Cedar Point. It is not Universal Studios. Kings Island doesn't have to imitate other parks because they do just fine being unique.

Given the fact that SOB's station still stands, I bet there's a more than good chance that it will become the station for the new ride, since it's a lot cheaper to touch up the station than build anew. CF is not going to keep a station just for Haunt. It was meant to serve a short term purpose until its new main purpose can be utilized much like The Bat station became Vortex's station. I do agree with you that that would make sense and save money; but, that station was made for a wooden coaster, not a steel coaster. They would probably have to do work around it to make the track fit properly. And, what if the trains were larger than the SoB trains and didn't fit? Also, from the work that we have seen so far, it really looks like the queue, station, and transfer track will be located where Thunder Alley previously stood.

Looks like they're just building a muddy pond. That's not very exciting.

Belmont Park Didn't get to spend as much time as I would have liked with this one due to it being a downpour of rain the entire time :/ But I did get the ride Giant Dipper though! Not as bad as I was expecting, certainly find its lift hill quite unique to listen to...kind of like how SOB was but not as painful to the ears, lol. Anyway, for those who probably never heard of this park, its a seaside park with only a classic woodie and several flat rides and its not far from SeaWorld. Had the weather been nicer I would have stuck around longer honestly. IMG_5536 by ki_faerie_wench, on Flickr IMG_5541 by ki_faerie_wench, on Flickr IMG_5542 by ki_faerie_wench, on Flickr IMG_5567 by ki_faerie_wench, on Flickr Now to bed and to work on the SeaWorld TR when I wake up (which I'm expecting to be a long one)

I have not ridden any other wing coasters, but Zach told me that it was much better than Wild Eagle, which he has ridden. And yes, this ride will kick your butt if you mess with it

Great review...even though I have yet to ride this, obviously...just a question, and I'm sure I'm not the only one wondering this- have you ever been on Wild Eagle @ Dollywood, X-Flight @ SFGam, or (unlikely) one of the foreign B&M Wing Coasters for comparison purposes? Also- a B&M that is actually FORCEFUL for the first time in a long time? Wow...makes me kind of hope whatever new ride KI is getting, if it is a B&M, is also forceful...(imagines a B&M Giga that is somewhat similar to Intimidator 305 in layout, and has good forces besides just airtime but of course it also has lots of ejector air moments, but with B&M's ultra-comfy hypercoaster trains, and with far better reliability and capacity compared to I305 as well...) Agahagahahagahagaha...drool...

I'm guess nobody here got the Ghostbusters reference. "Gatekeeper" & "Keymaster"

Keymaster! Opening spring 2014!!!

Wow... I saw him last weekend and just asked how he was doing. He was friendly, professional as always, and returned to his day as I did mine. I'm so oldie-lame!

And also no overuse of punctuation. See the Terms of Service. Besides, I thought only dueling or racing coasters could be racist. Terp, exiting quickly, stage right.

*Cough, Racer, Cough, Cough* Oh man, my allergies are acting up on me.

I feel like Vortex without the OTSR would be like a second coming. IT would truly bring the life back into the coaster. Can you imagine the corkscrews without them?

Prob tomorrow - not looking good for today tho. I will prob hold out till tomorrow morning unless it dries up around 7 like my boy Frank Marzullo is saying its going to. The rain stopped 20 minutes ago, and there are no lines anywhere but Flight of Fear. Just rerode the front seat of beast twice.EDIT: Flight of Fear is also a walk-on. I'm on my way up now!! I will be at DB in 10 min..

Ok so what we know so far: We are getting a lime green B&M steel coaster named Banshee.

It's all subjective. I think The Beast is boring, while pretty much everyone else loves it...

Nor has he been removed from the park for bad behavior!