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Owl long has this been going on?

This is my first year since I was 12 having a season pass, so I decided to join this forum. My parents used to take me and my brother to Kings Island and Cedar Point once a year each generally, but some years we would do either/or. I work night shift and I've always liked the park better at night, and since July is the month of midnight closings, I've been taking advantage of it as much as I can. Tonight was easily the best park experience I've had for the season and maybe for my whole life. It was pouring rain when I woke up and there were some thunderstorms forecast, but it let up and I convinced my brother to go with me. We got there at 7:30p or so and went to Flight of Fear, because he hadn't been on that yet this year. I remember riding that when it first opened, which was the year I had the pass, and when it had head restraints instead of lap restraints. It was rough back then, but now it's one of my favorite rides. Anyway, we got on that in 90 minutes or so. A lot of people were leaving the line for some reason I couldn't figure out. We got assigned to the second seat. I love the ride for its launch, and the fact that I can't really tell when it's upside-down or right-side up. The head chopper effects also make it scary. I also noticed that after the brake station, the train was crawling through that sideways turn. That's cool. Anyone know why it does that sometimes and not others? Does it depend on where you sit in the train? At the end, we both concluded it was worth the wait. There was no rain for our entire trip, or maybe we missed it while we were in the hangar. Our next goal, one of my ideas, was to ride Racer at night. I like that it's located over Coney Mall, with all of the beautiful neon lights at night. This is one of the many reasons I prefer parks at night. I was disappointed that they were only running one side again - how is it "The Racer" with only one train running? It's a shame. But getting to ride in the front seat during the fireworks show more than made up for that. It was fantastic! I had never been on a coaster while fireworks were exploding above. I like Red Racer better because it's easier to look out over Coney Mall. I also saw a heck of a lot of security clustered around the exit because one rider either decided to smoke on the ride or appeared to be smoking to the attendants. I won't make any comment about that, but I felt bad for his young son and hope they didn't get escorted from the park. Next (after I finished filming the rest of the fireworks with Racer and Monster in the shot) we had to get something to eat and opted for chocolate mousse, which is a weird thing to get at an amusement park, but was reasonably priced compared to a lot of stuff you can get. It was good, but heavy. I was going to get a burrito, but decided it would take too much time to eat. Then we followed a suggestion I read about here, to ride Adventure Express at night, and it was totally awesome compared to the daytime ride. It was almost a walk-on. We rode in the back. The green, red, and blue lights were so cool-looking. I did wish they had that skeleton lit up a little bit, though, and the big stone guys were not drumming, so I beat on the car a little bit. We wanted to make sure to get a Beast night ride in, and the line moved quicker than advertised. We got through what was supposed to be an hour and a half line in about an hour, even with the attendant putting on a huge show, getting the riders all pumped up. I don't know how he can shout that much without losing his voice, but however much he's making, he deserves a raise. My bro thought he probably works at Renfest, too. He was the most excited attendant I've ever seen, and it made the ride so much more fun with everyone hyped by his enthusiasm. I filmed about six to ten of these performances, back to back. It was exhausting just to watch! There was also some cool mist in the air from the earlier humidity (I think), though the ride was tamer than usual due to trim brakes. Are these always on, or do they run it without them sometimes? I just noticed it feels a bit less exciting with the brakes kicking on at all the best parts - especially going towards the double helix. Anyway, I shouted myself hoarse screaming like a lunatic. We got off Beast with 15 minutes to spare and managed to get two back-to-back rides in on Diamondback, first in the second to last car, outside seats, and next in the middle, inside seats. I like riding in the back best because of the airtime, and I like riding on the outside seats best. That's another ride that's excellent at night because you keep going from dark to light, getting glimpses of the rest of the park and then plunging back into the wooded area. I will say the attendant should not have said "Kings Island sucks," though I can understand why he would feel this way after a long day. I wouldn't want to work there. Then we got a funnel cake with strawberries and whipped cream to split, ate some of it by the fountains, and took the long, dark winding road home.

SToP. (Superman: Tower of Power) Terp, who just HAD to.

You will learn very quickly. Those who know, won't talk. Those who talk, won't know.

Never ever.

What a hoot!

I was afraid this would play into the accident. I have always had a problem with those of "Exceptional Size" being jammed into a seat. Just doesn't seem safe to me. I would rather be told no than to die from a failed restraint. I feel terrible for the kids that had to witness this happen to their mother. As a woman of "exceptional size" I had an incident on FOF about 4 years ago where a ride op was trying to force the lap bar down enough to have the seat belt click on the side of the train. I told the ride op " if you have to do all of this to allow me to ride that's crazy, unsafe, and point blank i'm not riding" The ride ops did let me off the ride. I enjoy roller coasters, but it's not worth dying over just to get on one. I can't ride DB due to my thighs(I tried the test seat and it did not turn green). but that's okay. I don't want to be jammed in just to be able to ride. I feel very sorry for the victim who apparently didn't feel safe in the restraint and I feel sorry for the family having to see this happen to her. Prayers for the family!

Oooooooh soooooo close to gaining my respect, but then you throw this in, thanks for playing though

So it's Hellevator?

In situations like this, it's difficult to imagine telling someone not to help. For most, it is basic instinct to help. The "Rapids Rescuers" quite possibly saved lives and will hopefully be recognized for their efforts.

If this wasn't a clean forum I'd make a joke about the term used when something being built starts to go vertical. But I won't. Hehe no matter how old you get that's never going to stop being funny.

It seems like most people aren't that honest with themselves.

A floorless was mentioned some time ago but everybody was arguing giga vs invert at the time. It's not like it matters. We will all find out eventually. Then before you know it we will be anticipating the next large addition to the park and this will be old news.

Sometimes when it rains, it pours.

And on what park experiences when do you base this? On the very same day that SFOT had this death, Cedar Point could have easily had seven deaths, had things been only slightly different. It has not been proven the rider at Six Flags said anything about her restraint, or even what caused her death. But you don't mind jumping to conclusions. Comparisons like yours are not helpful.

"Oh, that pesky Intamin! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Enjoy the rest of your stay!"

The former CEO lives in the parking lot.

Terrible ride and idea, terrible capacity, terrible terrible terrible

I was afraid this would play into the accident. I have always had a problem with those of "Exceptional Size" being jammed into a seat. Just doesn't seem safe to me. I would rather be told no than to die from an improperly secured restraint. I feel terrible for the kids that had to witness this happen to their mother.

Hmmmmmmmmm heard from a friend today about the ride. He works at the park, and like I said I don't care what you guys say. A lot of people know about the ride. For instance I knew about Diamondback before it was announced and I just worked in foods. Anyhoo, I won't say what he told me, but that a lot of our guesses are RIGHT ON! Woot! You'll loose your feet over the details, if they pan out! We are a lot closer than we think! EDIT: Further, I hope that my 2,727 posts, will have cleared me of any backlash of saying I am making things up and such. Cause Cobra don't play that way Honey Boo Boo Child.

VERY interesting update: http://www.dallasnews.com/news/metro/20130720-how-we-will-find-answers-in-death-on-six-flags-texas-giant-coaster.ece * Investigation likely to be internal * Victim's Family May Have Attorney * Gerstlauer Confirms Restraints Do NOT Click

So sad! Fortunately, damage was limited, and it did not spread to the maintenance or Whip buildings. Its especially sad given the age of the Dodg`em ride. Hopefully they will rebuild it, although it will never be able to replace the ride destroyed by the fire.

Crap... If they know about the shirt, they know about this site. Which means they're probably reading this thread and thinking "Great, now I have to look for a wristband!" You can run, but you just can't hide.

I can understand his point. Not everybody wants to wear a t-shirt with a giant, gaudy logo on it.

I would like to hear a little more from a man named Don Helbig.

With the recent teases involving owls and the "No Camping" signs pointing to a potential forest-themed attraction, I am now thoroughly convinced that these guys: ...aren't scarecrows. They're woodsmen. The name is actually meant to describe the sport seen in lumberjack competitions, but either way goes. And while plenty of axe-wielding maniacs in lumberjack garb have terrorized campers and unsuspecting passersby in pop culture over the past several decades, I think there is one in particular dangerous and legendary enough to warrant a ride named after him - The Huntsman. Anyone who has either read the fairy tale of and/or has seen Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs remembers the Evil Queen ordering a huntsman to take Snow White out into the forest and kill her, bringing back her heart as proof. Thankfully, and in the spirit of a happy ending, the huntsman lets Snow White free and brings back a pig heart instead. But what if it were the opposite, and the huntsman actually succeeds in 86ing 'Ol White-As-Snow and, overcome with blood-lust, stays in the forest to prey upon more victims? Numerous times people have hypothesized the idea that this new attraction may be revealed during the run of this year's Haunt, and if this batch of pure speculation somehow manages to bear fruit, then we could see a potential maze tie-in dubbed...Feary Tales (Scary Tales is taken by Universal's Halloween Horror Nights). A trek through horrific incantations of popular fairy tales and children's nursery rhymes, all leading up to a finale scene with the big bad Huntsman himself? Sounds like a plan. Of course, this is all speculative conjecture and should not be taken as 100% fact.

Don, you gotta be getting a kick out of this thread!

2013 Trip Report, Part I (Cedar Point, Kings Dominion) Cedar Point: May 15th - 16th, 2013 The new front gate at Cedar Point doesn't just look nice, but feels less congested, too.Park crowds were light to moderate but many of the rides were closed until the early afternoon due to the wind. The Gatekeeper construction looked to be about more than the rollercoaster, as the whole plaza area is beautiful to look at and recovered a lot of the beachfront view. It gives that section of the park a boardwalk feel. The lines were short to none on all rides except my favorite rollercoaster Maverick, which you would have sworn just opened from the gathered crowds. Thanks to Gatekeeper, even Top Thrill Dragster was a relatively short wait and a Fast Pass wasn't really needed. Gatekeeper is a fun rollercoaster, but it wasn't an intense ride and I'm perfectly happy we have Diamondback instead of this to be honest. I did find the seats and harnesses very comfortable. I think anyone who complains about them needs to give Mantis a re-ride. We ate at the buffet the first day and the food was disgusting. After this and the gross Philly cheese steak from Kings Dominion, my girlfriend and I promised that we would be sticking to hot dogs, fries, and pretzels from here on out at Cedar Fair parks. Gatekeeper's signature first drop. My favorite part of the ride. Gatekeeper really completes the landscape. Magnum has to be the most under-appreciated ride in the park. No lines, yet WAY better than Millenium Force. Kings Dominion: June 4th - 5th, 2013 Kings Dominion is something of an oddity to me. It's like a small poorly reproduced version of Kings Island, with wonderful landscaping and a giga-coaster shoved into it. Plus the attractions only branch off to one side of the main strip. You immediately want to explore in the other direction, but there's nothing there! The first ride of the day was the Berserker, which should be called Head Exploder. I decided to write about this ride because, like me, many of you probably at one time said, "Dude, it would be so awesome if the Viking Fury at Kings Island went upside-down!" I can can tell you now. It's not awesome. It hurts. Painfully. The restraints look like they came from a primitive torture device designed by a third world country with surplus steel tubing and foam rubber. Each gruesomely slow inversion left me hanging in such a way that all my blood was was being forced into my head. I was seeing stars. I was so relieved when the ride was over and immediately teased my girlfriend by asking her if she wanted to ride again. What I do like about Head Exploder is it makes for great video opportunities! Dominator was a fun rollercoaster best experienced from the front seat. It's also nowhere near as intense as it looks. It seemed to take the staff forever to load it. Staff as a whole throughout the park seemed unattentive and acted like they didn't want to be there. I was very glad crowds were light today. All of the rides in the park were walk-ons that day except Volcano, which turned out to be an over-hyped letdown. You launch into an inversion, then its just twist, turn, twist, turn..... Boring! I had much more fun on The Crypt (with the original Tomb Raider-ish theming and music still intact ) in front of it. I wish Cedar Fair would have done something with The Crypt at Kings Island. Finding Intimidator 305 was difficult! That side of the park was so confusing to navigate we had to keep our nose buried in the map to get to it. But if you want to ride a rollercoaster with strong g-forces, this is your ride. The seats were very comfortable and helped make this extreme ride enjoyable. The cable lift whisks you up the hill so fast you almost have no time to look around. The first turn is very hard. I grayed out the first time I rode it, but vision immediately recovered at the airtime hill. The rest of the ride was a blur of twists and short airtime. I can now forget all negative assumptions I have about giga-coasters since riding the high speed tour of Dinosaurs Alive known as Millenium Force. Kings Dominion's wooden coasters are absolutely terrible! You really appreciate The Beast and The Racer after coming here. I cannot believe how neglected they are by the park. They could all be good rollercoasters if someone put some TLC into them, but judging from how the park swept Grizzly behind Dinosaurs Alive, that may never happen. We ended our day on their version of the Flying Ace, which was a wonderful ride that's like a cross between a mini WindSeeker and a flying scooter ride. Their new kids area looks great. Kings Dominion wasn't bad, but it wasn't that good either. The only reason I would return is because we have platinum passes. Part II with Busch Gardens and Holiday World & Splashin' Safari will be coming soon! Dominator is an impressive ride, but one of my pet peeves is when a ride is put next to a parking lot. The Head Exploder! I would have been perfectly happy with something like this still standing at Kings Island. Intimidator 305 looks very... intimidating!

...Ride, Sally, Ride...

That's what I thought. The mere thought of Dick Kinzel on a Segway is comical beyond belief. Far more likely he'd have six ride ops carry him in a rickshaw.

I wouldn't call him an enthusiast as well. Having worked on the ride while he's visited, having several conversations and rides with him, he is probably one of the nicest guys I've ever met. Getting to know him personally as a crew was great! We all found out that he was a retired minister and has done various other things with his life. On my 300th ride (yes I've counted) he rode with me and bought my on ride photo for me without me even knowing. He brought it to me later and said that it was for me. Gary is a great guy with a great heart! The only time I've ever seen him get "nasty" with anyone is when they've done something against park policy. I've seen numerous people talking about how they can't stand the guy yet they've never gave themselves the chance to actually get to know him.

I guess that matters if you need to put up a front that you're cool. Can we buy a self esteem bracelet too?

I can understand not wanting a shirt with a giant logo if it's just not your style (my reason to not get one), but why are we ashamed to be enthusiasts? Why hide what you are?

^ Being a Bengals fan is nothing to be ashamed of. Being a Browns fan, on the other hand...

So glad that no one died in this accident. This has also restored my faith in people to some degree. It's great to see that park guests just jumped in to the water to help the ones trapped in the boat. If people are trapped under water every second counts. It might have been a different out come if the ones who did help just decided to stand there and watch instead.

It's not that a random number wouldn't be believable as much as it would be noted I missed by one of reaching the 12,000 mark. My rides were accrued in a non-consecutive fashion, so whether I finish at 11,999 or took it to 20,000, it's a mark that will never be broken for the most non-consecutive rides on the same roller coaster.

Let me say this about that. No one at Cedar Fair, Kings Island or any Cedar Fair affiliate has told me the first thing about Project 2014. I wouldn't ask them, and they know that.

Besides during my tenure dick kinzel didn't walk the midways...more of a slow shuffle...I just love how one time in particular he and I spoke how corkscrew and magnum were his two favorite achievements...to me, you just bought them, ron toomer created them, those are HIS accomplishments, not his

I also am an introvert; I enjoy enjoying things in my own way most of the time. Usually when I go to Kings Island it's just my mom and I. Since Mom doesn't ride as much as I do, I get to plan my own routine during the trip. In other words, I love to experience the park in my own way the most. In contrast, the last 4 KI trips I've done were with groups, so I didn't have as much freedom. In fact, I'm really starting to miss my normal way of experiencing KI - freedom and everything! That many group trips in a row is something I have yet to get used to, since I'm REALLY used to going with just my mom... For that matter, the next time I go to KI will be my 40th Kings Island trip, EVER, and I would most likely prefer to make the most of it in the freedom-filled way that I'm more used to (just my mom and I). Yeah, I'm a person of a certain routine... Bottom line: If you want to experience the park in your own, personalized way with no conflicts, I would suggest going solo.

He wanted the owner to look for the ^&**&^&%% dog actually As for the people, plenty were helping. The others were just rubbernecking.

It is very sad. I remember my dad and I would always ride that. Its a shame this happened.

I just rode the dodgem on the 6th and haven't even had time to write up a trip report...I nearly cried this morning when my sister sent me this video Another childhood memory up in smoke :/ So so sad!

Thats sad news, I was just at Camden Park a few weeks ago

That building is cinder block. Very little there would burn. It must have been one heck of a fire, most probably either electrical or arson. This is sad.

^^Unchained I agree the photo does make it look like the coaster is on fire.

Welcome to KICentral! Thank you for sharing your experience with us!

Wonderful report so good to hear you had one of your best experiences at the park even after so many visit at Kings Island for all those years. Welcome to KICentral we are glad you are here and we look forward to hearing more from you.

What's hard to understand? A huge bullseye on your chest or a small band on your wrist that only members would know what it was.

I'm curious what they do with the people they treated and released at the park's first aid station. I imagine a "Oops, our bad. Here are some Fast Lane passes," wouldn't cut it.

And people complain about ride ops enforcing Kings Island's two click policy. This is one of many reasons so-called "power hours" have always frightened me. A capacity contest is not worth a life. Ever.