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^ three more times, or I don't believe you.

Merthecat: do it one more time. Hurry!

That rule was so two pages ago...

You were flip flops?

“@KingsIslandPR: Turning out to be a great day to get in a lot of rides.” This confirms that the 2014 ride will be three coasters and will be a B&M Invert, an Intamin Giga, and a RCCA wooden stratacoaster. They will also duel.

Last Saturday I went to Holiday World with my wife (Laura) and our friend (Scott). I had not been out there for a few years and it was Laura and Scott's first time. I was pretty nervous about driving 3 and a half hours out there mainly to take them on some of the best and intense wooden coasters, because, you know, what some people call "intense" others call "rough". And I didn't want to be responsible for dragging them out to the middle of the nowhere just to get a concussion; even if they got a lousy t-shirt with it. But threats of injury aside, we were going. Thunderstorms were in the forecast for later in the afternoon, so I hoped they would scare off some of the Saturday crowds. We arrived just as the park was opening. Me posing with Santa. "Welcome to Holiday World!" I had already decided that I was going to ramp up the intensity slowly by taking them on the coasters starting with Raven, then Legend and ending with Voyage. I'd already over-hyped the Raven enough early. My first trip to HW was when the Legend had opened. And while I loved the insanity of the Legend; it felt like a work out, where the Raven was just plain fun. It was short, but fun. We hopped on after about a 15 minute wait and flew through. Laura sat next to me and thought it was rough, but fun. Scott said that it was SOB rough and one of the worst coasters he'd ever been on for roughness. I thought they were both crazy, but they were reaffirming my earlier fears that maybe they were going to hate it here. I personally felt like the Raven was a little less stellar than I'd remembered. It was fun, but I wasn't blown away like I was years ago. Next we went over to Legend. It was about a 20 minute wait. Once we got into the station I saw that the front seat line was no longer than any other so we got in it. I always loved the Legend in the front. We rode and I heard Laura shouting "Oh god!" at every sudden direction change; which if you've ridden Legend you know, there are a LOT of sudden direction changes.So I was pretty sure she was hating it. As we hit the brakes we were wiping tears out of our eyes from the wind. Scott, again, thought it was rough, but not as bad as Raven, and he enjoyed it more. Laura loved the Legend. She was shocked by how forceful it was, but liked it a lot more than Raven. Hope was restored! Both of them needed a little break before going to what I told them would be the most intense coaster they'd ever ridden. Scott still had a headache from Raven and Laura's head was spinning. So we rode a couple flats like the carousel which has some sweet animals. Everyone was clamoring to get on this dragon-horse. Who-Dey!!! Their Flying Eagles/Parrots/Pelicans are fun, but you cannot get any kind of snap on them at all. I knew this going in, but we still tried. Laura insisted on taking this picture since my birthday is on the 4th of July (Look at me. I was so much younger in this picture. So full of hope, and life. Meeeeeemorieeeeees!!!) Scott and I on the Turkey Whirl. He's still got that Raven headache. So finally it was time for the Voyage. The line was pretty long and for the first half they were still running only 1 train. Once they got the second on the track, it moved better but we still had about an hour+ wait. We rode near the back, which was probably a mistake considering this was their first ride and they would not be able to see what was coming. I hyped this coaster a LOT. They are both big Beast fans and found it crazy that I thought any of these coasters could rival it. We started up the lift and Laura was getting nervous. We went down the first couple drops, then the beginning of the insanity starts. Sudden turns, 90 degree banks, lateral g's up the ying yang. Laura had again been shouting "oh god!" with every turn. We hit the mid course brake section and I shouted "It's about to get nuts!". Laura responded, "What!? Now!?" and then we hit the Voyage's triple down and everything from then was a blur of speed and turns. When we hit the brakes we were all out of breath. Laura was weak in the knees and needed some time to regain herself. She said that she had never been so scared on a coaster before. Scott got a bigger headache and was pretty much done for the day. I told them that we had to ride again in the front later so that they could judge better. We went back to the front of the park and ate at the restaurant in Christmas land. Food prices are so reasonable there. I think it was $9 for 2 big slices of pizza, bread sticks and some Oreos. Of course, drinks were free. The pizza was very good. Then we rode a few more flats like the bumper cars, which are still crazy fast and hit hard. They are not cars, but horses and bulls, which used to have light up eyes, but the lights weren't working at this time. Rode the Getaway Gobbler, meh. Then we went to the car and got some swimwear and went to Splashing Safari for a bit. This was my 4th visit to HW and the first time I'd actually tried the water park. It was crazy crowded, but we still got a few slides in. The water coaster lines were insane, so we didn't try them. We got changed and walked around a bit. Laura and I bustin' some ghosts. Both Scott and Laura were tired, but I told them we HAD to do Voyage one more time. Just then it started getting dark and a storm was heading in. We booked it to Voyage and it was already shut down. We had an early dinner to wait out the storm at the Thanksgiving restaurant. The food was okay and you got a LOT for the price, but the pizza was better earlier, I thought. The storms lasted a while with a lot of lightening and we had almost given up hope that we'd get a ride, but eventually the skies cleared and we got in line. Scott was done for the day so Laura and I waited for the front seat. We only waited about 30 minutes this time. The front is where it's at. Laura was still shocked by the coaster's intensity, and her final verdict is that it's the most intense coaster that she's ever been on, but she's still partial to The Beast for sentimental reasons. I'll take that. Laura and Scott both said they had fun, but I feel like Scott will not be a return customer. I think Laura will be glad to come back in a year or two. Maybe when HW finally installs those Timberliners. Laura loves Holiday World! And yes, we did get lousy t-shirts.

Maybe the forums should stand up side down. Or maybe we can get a Banshee to scare the hiccups away.

And what did you just do?

Uhm... Actually that's just a song by B.J Thomas... cause you know it's been raining a lot....

Well I have found out the last few months that a free photobucket account only allows for 10 gigabyte of uploads a month. Once you pass that they shut off your pics until the next month rolls around. It normally takes about 15 days anymore for me to hit my limit. So every time you relink those pics it works against that limit. I have thought about deleting a lot of the pics I have in this thread so I would be able to add more but a lot of them are important to the following discussion. I currently have 63 pics in this thread that get viewed enough on here to reach that limit.. Just another reason why quoting with pics is a bad idea.

The family was planning on heading to KI for a fun day on the 4th, but with the weather forecast was not looking good so we decided not to make the drive over. My father in law called and wanted to know if we wanted to go to the Indianapolis Zoo with him and my sister in law and her daughter. So, we all headed for downtown Indy for the Zoo. Our zoo is not very big and I personally refuse to pay to go myself, but since the in-law was paying we went. I figured I would share some pictures of the animals we took! My son Korbin petting the sharks! Tiger (Frosted Flakes anyone?) Gone Batty! We have a Diamondback in downtown Indy! My daughter Kaylee and I. She did not want a picture taken for some reason. We must be in Santa Claus Indiana! Here Kitty, kitty! Someone got the kids Ice cream. Real Dippin' Dots! No scoop on any KI news though... The curlly headed one on the left is my niece Savannah. Hope you enjoy the PTR!

She's a transformer.

It was a blanket statement not directed at any one person. I just think we should all be a little more polite to each other. Maybe eat some Snickers. We're not ourselves when were hungry. Hungry for information that is.

Will you guys quit pretending to be moderators and let the real moderators do their jobs! If you have a problem with the way someone made a post why don't you private message them about your concern instead of calling them out on the boards. :End Rant:

They've actually never fixed the problem (meaning, they're actually still too heavy and cumbersome). If a boat is not loaded just right, it's in danger of capsizing, or at the very least, taking on a lot of water and slowing down even more. The boats also move through the course much slower than envisioned, and there is a significant jarring (and sometimes painful) bump at the bottom of both hills if one is sitting in the right spot. I certainly do not pretend to be an insider, but from what I have gathered from being a part of various discussions about this ride, this was essentially the "last straw" between Cedar Point (note; not Cedar Fair) and Intamin, and a lot of bridges were burned. Those bridges were already at least toasted. Hence, you will often see boats leave with rows unfilled, and often be told exactly where to sit, etc...and it's a nearly 6-minute agonizingly long, slow ride. Considering what it was designed to replace, Shoot the Rapids is a strikeout in my opinion. It's certainly not a family ride by any stretch of the imagination (see height requirements). But don't mind me. I'm in a hotel in Newport News having spent the past 4 days visiting the great Busch Gardens Williamsburg; it always reminds me of everything Cedar Point is not with regards to the word "family". Speaking of which, TTD, I looked for you in France all week...but found no "ginger kid" in a yellow shirt. Sorry I missed you! Especially since you work at one of my favorite parks.

You haven't seen a bad parking lot till you've seen Riverbend. At the Rush concert Tuesday night, it took me and my dad twenty minutes just to exit the lot...and we were around the fifth row, I think...

Cedar Points newest roller coaster, Gatekeeper just opened this year and it is the longest wing coaster in the world, it features many different types of breathtaking inversions such as an inclined dive loop and a zero-g-roll. Get out to Sandusky and go key-holing while you conquer the guardian of the gate! Enjoy 2013 and the debut of Gatekeeper at Cedar Point while its still here! Its already July and Gatekeeper is closing the gates to Cedar Point in October which is closer than you think, So get out and enjoy this year at Cedar Point while its here!

Thanks for all the feedback everyone! Yeah I have to agree with the Interpreter...Since I have turned 33 I have had this "whatever" attitude about what other people think. So with that in mind, I think I will go before the season is up. I'm not going to let myself not go just because someone bailed on me or make my husband go and waste money because he won't ride ANYTHING. Thanks again!

What did we say about quoting a post with all the pictures....?

Checked out Reds Hall of Fame on 4th of July to give the place a second shot and I must say the place hit a home run after striking out on my first visit. The service was outstanding and the pull-apart pork sandwich simply melted in my mouth. Just wanted to give my kudos to the staff for putting it all together. Hopefully that we mean more great sit-down restuarants at the park.

I envy you guys who can strike up a conversation with just about anyone. After a quick "Hello, nice to meet you," I stand their in awkwardness.

One of the great joys of getting older is peer pressure greatly lessens and you no longer care a whit what others may think if they see you alone.

You were flip flops? I was flip flops once, then I woke up man that was a messed up dream.

Man you don't know traffic issues until you have been to a race at Kentucky Speedway.

I vote on the parking lot work! Today's heavy rain created large puddles that hid the sink holes in the lot!

I think the best part of this post is that I would be 100% okay with a parking lot renovation for next season.

Yes I(fth) Yes I(fth) Yes I(fth) (STOMP) Yes I remember how to fix a skip. (Stomping can also fix lights in the basement if you do it right.)

Remember, not every single post from Don is a hint or a clue.

Even if they did include theme, how long would it take for the theme to not work anymore?

Construction photos: Look's like someone (or something) messed with the scarecrow and NO CAMPING sign...

I would say be careful Don, popcorn is a hazardous food for choking and if you're laughing while eating it, that could double the chance of choking. Be careful Don. Be careful.

-

I think the best part of this post is that I would be 100% okay with a parking lot renovation for next season. To help the traffic, after the fireworks To reduce the likelihood of potholes eating cars. Nomnomnomnom

Watch what coaster Six Flags Great America gets next, and wait for a larger version. It'll probably be a few years.

...This is slightly related to this topic.... Didn't Don say that they were going to bring something back something similar to 5@5 this year?...

Isn't it just a tad early for this? Just sayin'.

If people would try to ride in the front of FoF, they would indeed feel & see why the front is the BEST place to ride on FoF

A few Bat footers are scattered throughout the layout of Vortex. The most prominent footer is on the right side of the que right before you enter the building. A few of the footers have the remnants of supports that were cut by a cutting torch or the like. I loved that ride. It rocked (and rolled)! I knew I had a pic...

Someone stick a penny on Merthecat's head! Brown- who remembers how to fix a skip. (Anyone else???)

Where is Diamondback? Or the Reds Hall of Fame Grill? Terp, who likes to ask questions.

Red eyes of a Banshee?Or eyes turning red from the chlorine in Soak City, which is closed due to rain?

But he had a point of sharing the photos. It wasn't like a couple pages back and the would quote 10 photos and say Drop Tower looks tall. He wanted to show that there wont be much work done because of all of the water on the ground. I understand you may be on mobile but maybe if you are short on data you should wait until you get home to check it. I mean no disrespect to you.

I know, I am sorry! I did cut about half of them. I wanted to show how wet it is. Update: brought it down to 3 pics.

I'm 32 and single. A lot of my friends either have families now or have significant others, so they just can't do as much with me as they used to. Hence, I end up doing a lot of things by myself and I love it. I've been on numerous trips in my life with family, friends and for business. However, one of the best trips I ever took was when I drove cross country by myself. Heck, last night I went to watch fireworks by myself. As for Kings Island, I've never been there by myself, but I would have no problem whatsoever going alone. In fact, this Fall, I'm thinking about going to Haunt by myself. One thing I enjoy about the Haunt is the scenery around the park. I just think the props, sets and just the overall visuals throughout the park are stunning. I've always wanted to go to Haunt just to take in the scenery and take pictures. When I'm with someone else, it's hard to sit back and just take in the scenery because they're usually more into wanting to ride and do the Haunts than to enjoy the visual aspect of it. And I agree with The Interpreter in that the older you get, the less you care about what people think. Being 32, I'm not that old, but there's a huge difference between how I feel about others seeing me alone now compared to just 10 years ago when I was 22. I just don't care now.

I have a solo trip planned for this Wednesday. It will be my 6th trip alone. I think going alone and going with a friend both have their advantages and disadvantages. It seems that every time I take someone they are worn out by 1:00. I, on the other hand, can go all day by myself. It is always nice to have someone to talk to when you get lonely, because I am dreadfully awful at striking up random conversations with people I don't know well. Another downside of bringing someone is that they usually aren't an avid rider like me. I like to marathon some rides and most people just don't seem up to that. The bottom line is that going alone is fun and you will get a lot of what you personally want to do done. I hope you have a good trip!

Adding to this, I have read that the Intamin representative to the United States is less than nice to work with. Sandor Kernacs is his name I believe. I have not heard a nice word about the man. (I'm not one to judge some one who I have not met personally, so all of this is stuff I have read on various park fansites.) I do agree that Shoot the Rapids was the last ride we will see Cedar Fair acquire from Intamin for quite some time. Kevin, I am sad I missed you. Ever since I found out you are head of the "Face Your Fear Event" I've always wanted to meet you. Your field has always interested me. Maybe next time.

I've done a solo trip to Hershey and had a blast. I can talk to about anybody and I had a ton of fun chatting with so many random people from such different walks of life. I often go to KI with my family and break away for a some laps on DB and It's given me a unique perspective of how fun it can be to fly solo. I also get a lot of rerides as a solo rider. On the other hand, on what was about to be a solo day at CP (day before CoasterMania) I ended up meeting up with Terpy on a days notice. Had I decided to not go, I would have missed out on one of my best park trips ever. The moral of the story, Just go.

95% of my trips to KI are alone! I love going by myself. Going to KI alone is my way to unwind and get away from life for a while. I almost always meet up with someone on this board at some part of the day, but for the first few hours of the day I love only having to take care of just me and doing only what I want to do at the park! I hope all these comments are helpful for I was not sure myself how many of us enjoyed a solo day at the park as well!

Intmain: Guyz I will build U a Nice Log Flumez Cedar Point: YAYYZ Intmain: Herez u go!!!! Cedar Point: wait... The boats doesn't fit gooby... Intmain: Weeps. Sawwie. This is how STR went down.

If KI paid, they are due a refund for the misteaks.