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You may have noticed a new tasty treat around Kings Island this year. The "Fudge Push Pop" was invented in-house by a long-time employee who created many of the flavors of fudge sold in Kings Island's Fudge Shop to this day. Don't be fooled - these aren't frozen. They're actually made of the same fudge that's found in the shop. The container allowed for more creativity with the presentation and flavors as well as the ability to more easily take it home to share with friends and family. You'll notice some differences between this and the fudge. Mainly it's the varieties available. If you look at the photo above, the simple "fudge" flavor is sprinkled with M&M's and there's even a Ice Cream Sundae flavor! Oh, and the cherry on top of the Ice Cream Sundae flavor? Cherry-flavored fudge! This is definitely something you'll want to check out on your next visit to Kings Island. They are available in limited locations immediately but should be available at almost all merchandise stores at the park within the next week. Enjoy!

Here is a photo of the Blue Ice Cream flavor pops courtesy of KICentral's Facebook:

Me, too. (Not my first ever coaster, though. That would be The New Sensation at Camden Park, before I was born).Sigh. My dad made me ride the Wabash Cannonball with my mentally challenged Aunt. He proceeded not to. She was not amused. Odd. I always imagined your first inverted coaster experience would have been at Flip Flap Railway's media day. Oh, and mine was King Cobra.

I should also add that there is a Blue Ice Cream flavor that uses the blue ice cream flavoring that the cones use. It was the original flavor from like two weeks ago.

^ You've got to realize that at the time... this was it. This was the whole shabang. They could have painted the Eiffel Tower purple and it wouldn't have even been a topic of discussion. The Beast garnered world-wide attention for a very long time after it was announced and built. Nowadays, they build a $24 million ride and the attention is drawn away by seat belts on another ride. When The Beast debuted it was all that mattered.

Seriously, fudge is the only thing my ex would buy me at the park last year. Stuff was delicious. Now that she's gone, more fudge for me! Aha! The single life...

So my home state of Ohio has been receiving a lot of love from Cedar Faire in the recent years. Kings Island got a new waterpark in 2012 and a kick :xcensoredx: B&M invert for this year, and Cedar Point just last year got an almost equally kick :xcensoredx: B&M wing coaster and this year got two new flats as well as an area facelift. One of my friends from another site was going to be going and invited locals to come along. I was the only one who took him up on it, but we went and had quite a blast! Day 1: Kings Island Coaster nerd outfit theme? Crappy B&M inverts! We got to KI around 1-2-ish and headed left. First ride WAS supposed to be Invertigo, but we decided to make our first ride a decent one, so hit up my baby, Banshee! All I can say is WOW!!! It's definitely gotten faster since media day, and the amount of snap in the zero-g has gone way up. Still as intense as ever, though the carousel turn has sped up significantly and has gotten really intense as a result. The inline provided just as much terrifying "dump" as it did on media day, and the helix felt a tad bit more intense. Not to mention it looks fabulous, too... Afterwards we made like the Cincinnati Reds and went up to The Bat. Again, great Arrow suspended (though I like SFMM Ninja better) and it wasn't dripping oil on everybody like it was on media day. Because it was a walk-on, we decided to do Banshee again. But when I saw the purple train roll into the station, I knew we were in for an experience far from your typical Banshee ride. And boy was I right! The rattling had only gotten worse since media day and it kind of made what should have been an amazing ride just meh. It rattled like an Arrow! For some reason the blue train is completely rattle-free, the green train has just a bit of it, and the purple train rattles like crazy. Not sure why, but I hope KI fixes it like they did Gatekeeper stapling. And then we hit this oh-so-much-fun ride to clean out the last of the park section full of inverted coasters. Invertigo; I REALLY hate that ride! It was better than KBF's boomerang but that really doesn't say too much! It was a walk-on (which isn't that common, I've seen it get two-hour waits) but it was still painful. And I hate the shoulder cup things on the OTSRs, not sure if they've always been there but I just now noticed them. Flying Ace was next on our way to Diamondback. Meh, it's Flying Ace. Somewhat rough, but a nice little family coaster. Maybethey could add the new Vekoma trains with the overhead lap bars? Up next was Diamondback... ...or as it should be called, DiamondSTACK. I have NEVER in my life seen a B&M stack that badly! Both trains on both brake blocks and one in the station nowhere close to dispatching, it was unbelievable! Those seatbelts really are a pain and I saw a few that worked a bit differently than others. Kings Island needs to send those seatbelts to the same place wherever Son of Beast is to burn for eternity! That being said, it was still a fab ride, as always. :wink: And what good is a trip to KI without LaRosa's or Skyline Chili? I did this after we did The Beast and while my friend did BSC. After getting beaten on Vortex, my friend hit Firehawk, a ride on which I sat out on account of it being vile on multiple levels. We then finished the loop with Racer and Adventure Express (see what I can do when I forget to take pictures? This, Diamondstack, I'm on fire tonight!) and yeah. Racer was running just one side but red was still somewhat smooth and airtime-y. Fun old ride, I have to admit. And Adventure Express got rougher I think. It might have been just my imagination, though. I wish they had changed the bulb in the lava at the end though, don't make an already anticlimactic ending even worse. While enthusiast #2 went to knock out Woodstock Express and Eiffel Tower, I went to spend some quality time with my baby... :wink: These people might get off feeling the impulse to ride a small children's tricycle along a gravel path. Look at the color of the train... Got a tad thirsty so I tried a Banshee brew. It was good, but full of sugar and the flavors never really mix. Here she goes! This is probably my most photographed coaster... If I was over just a bit more this would be a fabulous shot... Back to earth! Fun on Banshee! IT'SBEHINDTHETREESIT'SBEHINDTHETREESIT'SBEHINDTHETREES!!!!!!!! Man, this coaster knocks 'em dead... I tried SO hard to get that last shot from a lower angle with more of the train! I was that weirdo laying on his stomach in the park with his camera pointing through the fence bars trying to get it! Chicken Shack is open for business! On this trip I picked up mostly things I had kicked myself for previously not buying, and one of the things I wanted was this orange Beast hat. Didn't have it anymore but seeing this really cool window display did give me a cool idea for an addition; if/when they RMC Beast, rebrand it a bit. Get rid of that midway? style building that serves as the entrance for a forest-themed ride and plant some pine trees with rockwork around it so it looks as if you're heading into deep woods, similar to Timber Mountain at KBF. Goodbye, Kings Island! Day 2: Cedar Point After fighting shift work disorder induced by day 1, I dragged myself out of bed to go drive to our meeting point to go to THE Point! I was with somebody and was trying to remain civilized, but I still gooned out a bit when I saw this, not gonna lie... Side keyholing! Action shot! These people are side keyholing! ERT on Raptor! I didn't even gable in Vegas and I picked up a gambling addiction! Lost ten dollars on this stupid thing! I won last year, didn't win this year. This drop is amazing... First ride of the day? My #2 and the best coaster in Ohio in my eyes, Millennium Force! We walked on it twice and got the back once! Such a fun morning coaster, seeing everything but the surrounding land cloaked in fog is so cool! Next up was Maverick, which we were expecting to be on and off of... But nobody on the tracks... They had to move some trains around and get one off and two on, a process that took thirty minutes... But we got on in the front and HOLY CRAP!!!! My #3 still delivered, that drop is still insane! Up next: A ride on Cedar Creek Mine Ride, brought to you by this nerd shot of the Arrow track! I have a school friend named SJ that works there and had said on Facebook that they'd meet me. I'm waiting on our CCMR train and I get a "turn around" text. And BAM!!! SJ was waiting for us in the station! We did Gemini Red after this and then strolled down the Gemini midway. Pipe Scream was down but not Lake Erie Eagles (wanted to squeeze Gatekeeper in there before the forecasted rain started). That being said, they themed the area really nicely. The way I'm describing how they kept the 80's feel that I was so worried about it losing when the expansion was announced is that it now feels nostalgic instead of dated. You can tell it was the Gemini midway, it retains that charm, but it's no longer neglected. And I want to come here at night! The friend I went with stuck around to get Woodstock Express while SJ and I booked it to Gatekeeper...and it would be down for mechanical. Luckily, I heard them call the employees sweeping the steps back to their posts and before I knew it, the ride was open! SJ was putting their stuff in their locker when it opened so we got separated and didn't ride together, but I snagged a front seat on the right, the side I hadn't ridden! And as an added bonus, it had started to rain lightly but steadily. First Gatekeeper ride in the rain and it rocked! That drop is terrifying with the unlocked vest and while it did feel like getting pelted in the face with snow at the bottom of the elements, it was still fun! The Gatekeeper sign in the rain! What happens when it rains? The tracks get wet. What happens when the tracks get wet? The trains go faster... Our chariot awaits! Giant blue iron pretzel on Lake Erie! Just as our train pulled in, they shut the ride down due to weather and force everybody out of the station. By then it had started pouring, and I got this one of them evacuating the brake run train. I was being cheap since I had splurged for the past two weeks and decided a bag would do for leaving the Gatekeeper gift shop...huge mistake! We then went over to Famous Dave's after I soaked myself running over to SJ's locker to grab my hat...and like the day of the Live, were treated to a disa-Cedar Point-ing view of the park with nothing running. A rare look at the Jarrett without his signature button-up over his tee. It got too wet and I took it off to dry. https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/t1.0-9/10334471_840609699301392_8273610923390184720_n.jpg Jarrett vs. Famous Dave's Wilbur's Revenge sauce (their Devil's Spit sauce mixed with jalapenos)...and Wilbur got his revenge. https://scontent-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/t1.0-9/10255559_840609722634723_4957934104436019200_n.jpg I want to have my 21st birthday party here next year. https://scontent-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t1.0-9/10256812_840609842634711_2760472939366631875_n.jpg Ah, my favorite lunch platter. Their chicken tenders are fabulous, their catfish sticks are fabulous, the ribs are fabulous, you get the idea. https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/t1.0-9/1506799_840609882634707_5932257124531762904_n.jpg We went back to the park, the only thing running was Gatekeeper, the line had filled the cattlepen that we knew was practically a good way to get soaked at this point (their colored awnings are good for shade but do NOTHING for rain!), and initially wanted to stick around, but when we heard thunder and they killed Gatekeeper, we gave up all hope and decided to leave around 2, tired, cold, and soaked. https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/t1.0-9/r90/10314472_840609902634705_6669258653106103781_n.jpg And TTD and Power Tower fade into the rainy Lake Erie skies... https://scontent-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/t1.0-9/10262121_840609945968034_236169585939499043_n.jpg Both of us wanted our pictures with this Golden Ticket sign in guest services. I instantly told them we weren't there to rip their heads off as I walked in and they looked ready for a verbal beating over the rain. https://scontent-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t1.0-9/10308900_840609969301365_4007593931982394153_n.jpg Me with the Golden Ticket sign rocking the poncho swag! https://scontent-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/t1.0-9/10342472_840610065968022_8122901938483224373_n.jpg Saw a red-winged blackbird on the way out of the park and got a meh nature shot of it. https://scontent-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t1.0-9/r90/10356722_840610082634687_3614044533180492669_n.jpg And finally, the "soaked at Cedar Point" selfie! https://scontent-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t1.0-9/1969375_840610389301323_5724770993259136452_n.jpg Driving across a rainy causeway. https://scontent-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/t1.0-9/10308882_840610475967981_8588708683358644505_n.jpg Apparently all of Ohio got the memo that it was supposed to absolutely pour today and Sandusky just got it late. It rained all the way up, it rained all the way down, and here it poured! https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/t1.0-9/10176120_840610022634693_8466711859127718070_n.jpg What a fun week doing both of my home parks! I learned a bit about the CP drive and the KI drive so I should be able to do both on my own really soon! Hoping to go back to one in the coming weeks!

A new sign next to The Beast's entrance.

May boost testosterone, but your appearance however will be quite diminishing

http://addofio.wordpress.com/2007/01/20/the-prettiest-dog-as-ever-was/ Poor weather dog...

I like your attitude.

This is a photo that was sent to me by a long-time Kings Island employee. It is a circa 1978 photo his mother standing in front of one of The Beast's tunnels. The Beast made its debut on a rainy Friday, the 13th in 1979 and still stands as the world's longest wooden roller coaster.

Already there's a screen installed at the end of "it's a small world" that will say goodbye to you by name.

Yes. Starting with the characters later this summer. when you scan your Magicband, it will alert the character who will then talk to you by name (even the costumed characters are going to be able to do this, much like at Turtle Talk where the CM running the show magicaly sounds like Crush, so whoever is inside Mickey will have his/her voice transformed to sound like Mickey. There are already subtle changes to the costumed characters, whereby Mickey blinks his eyes and moves his mouth). I've heard the first such soft rollout will be at the Pirates experience in Adventureland where you can go around and collect things that will activate elements. The technology is quite amazing and will only get better. That sounds amazing. Hopefully all that is up and working good when we go in December. It will blow my daughter's mind if the characters speak to her and know her name.

Yes. Starting with the characters later this summer. when you scan your Magicband, it will alert the character who will then talk to you by name (even the costumed characters are going to be able to do this, much like at Turtle Talk where the CM running the show magicaly sounds like Crush, so whoever is inside Mickey will have his/her voice transformed to sound like Mickey. There are already subtle changes to the costumed characters, whereby Mickey blinks his eyes and moves his mouth). I've heard the first such soft rollout will be at the Pirates experience in Adventureland where you can go around and collect things that will activate elements. The technology is quite amazing and will only get better.

Hello all, I'll be traversing the interstates of 275 and 71 today to make my way to the Wonderful World of Hanna Barbara ...er... Kings Island. Today is the first day of "Daily Operation" So we'll see how this works out! Trip Report to Come

Did have a Tornado last night, Weather Dog currently on neighbors roof, awaiting evac. Saw the stuff for the first time with my own eyes, quite incredible. The house I saw hit has literally nothing left.

^ I am shocked as well the number of us that experienced the Wabash Cannonball as our first inversion. What a great ride and awesome park. Still wish someone would open a Chaos clone. The wait always made me nervous with all the ticking clocks and such.

Came in here thinking I would be the only one with Wabash Cannonball.....amazingly, I'm not. Pretty cool some of us have intersecting memories of a time long ago.

Alas, we have a POV video of Lightning Run. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XM1UUt05dsc

With the opening of Falcons Fury, Seven Dwarves Mine Train, and HP and the Escape from Gringott's...I expect Florida to be issuing it's own Fastpass just to get into the state this summer.

I still think its incredibly smooth. But to each his own I guess.

I'm guessing 66 days of hints/pictures starting on Monday...

We're in Ohio. What is consistent weather?

Even if a seasonal employee has an idea, chances are it won't be implemented without support from above. Being a good manager isn't all about the things you personally do, but how you make use of the skills of those you manage.

We also have a reverse POV with the guys from Chance riding it. Some language may not suitable for younger audiences. This ride will have a seat belt.

Im not sure where you got that photo from but... Is that a doggy door I see next to the window? We had a dog would bust out of windows and screens to sit on the roof of our porch...

Or talking to eachother via mic in Zephyr while loaded cycle is going.. Walked past and saw that Tuesday they were chatting with eachother via mics while the ride was loaded and going looking at eachother...If it wasn't for the fact I had things to take care of and was on the phone with an important call I would have screamed. First time I have EVER had to file a -GR..EVER..I just..I was lost for words

Looks like it might have some solid pops of air time on a few of those hills.

Which on my screen is only 2" tall! Seriously, though! I can't wait to try my fave, which is the Dreamsicle -- and it looks like they've included an "orange slice" on top!

......and a noodle.

So, it's been raining, cats and dogs? Terp, literally running...for the Metro, sans hand sanitizer.

I like your attitude. Seriously, go for those buckeyes on International Street. The satisfying taste replaces the loneliness in my soul. You won't even notice the lingering depression and regret. I'm kidding, maybe.

Considering what happened when I neglected my blue cone for a couple minutes trying to juggle it and my phone to take a pic of the noodle (the ice cream started melting everywhere, luckily my tank top was the same color as the ice cream) I think maybe I will have to try out the fudge version.

If you need your space, why are you going to a park that can draw around over 18,000 visitors in a day? You're going to get touched at least once and choose wisely who you're going to have problems with. I've seen brawls break out over a giggle. .

I think they're like $5.

Can you go into more detail about what you mean? Banshee was the original name for Mantis at Cedar Point. The name was changed before the ride opened, allegedly because of a negative public reaction to using the name of a spirit connected with death. I was wearing a shirt with the logo of Kings Island's Banshee. When the ride operator saw me getting ready to disrespect his ride in the front row, he started using "Banshee" instead of "Mantis" in his spiel. (eg. "Enjoy your ride on Banshee")

I have kids to carry my cup.

This is my third year to participate in Coasting for Kids and I love being able to help out the kids and their families. Here is a link to my page if anyone would like to donate. http://support.gktw.org/site/TR/CoastingForKids/General?px=1221591&pg=personal&fr_id=1236

Weather dog had same forecast as this morning. I am beginning to think she won't fly away due to wind, but be swept away by a flood. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Currently they're calling for a pretty low chance of rain from 11AM through the rest of the day tomorrow (and continuing into Friday). I don't have a dog to ask, and the cat doesn't care tho.

Yes, if they'll bring back deep-fried cheese on a stick

WARNING: TRIP REPORT HUGE!!! What da? It is time for ANOTHER trip report already? Well, having a season pass has its perks. The group I was with was mostly the same as the previous TR, but minus a few people. OK, now for the ride rating system... 10: Amazing 9: Excellent 8: Very Good 7: Good 6: OK 5: Meh 4: Bad 3: Very Bad 2: Terrible 1: Garbage 0: Garbage's Garbage from the Land of Space Poo! Ready? To quote Mario...Here We Go! We left for the park around 8:00, but due to needing to stop for bathroom breaks and all that, we didn't reach the park until around 10:00 and thus missed ERT. D'oh! But would we need it? Our group split- a few of us wanted to go ride Diamondback, but we heaed for a ride which I promised my sister we'd ride while in line for Beast @ Night (we skipped it in favor of Beast) on the last trip... RIDE #1: Flight of Fear (x2) Wait: 5 Minutes 1st Ride (Needed to cycle 1 train), 10 Minutes 2nd ride Hehehe, after waiting 90+ minutes for this once it is sure is fun to just hop on with a minimal wait. The ride itself is quite turbulent- after reading some discussion about violent vs. rough and then riding this, I realized FOF actually is not so rough but is in fact the former- a very violent, aggressive ride that WILL throw you around. There were some rough spots though, but nothing too drastic. Very forceful as usual, too. A solid ride. We headed outside and found Firehawk broken, so instead of riding that, we decided to head back and ride FOF again since the line was short. We rode in another train, which was actually smoother but we also rode much closer to the back and thus it was even more violent than before! A very fun ride both times. Score: 9/10 After FOF, we found Firehawk was running but the group was wanting to "meet up with us" at... RIDE #2: Banshee Wait: >5 Minutes!!! From 4 1/2 Hours to just 2 trains...wow. What a reduction in wait time your choice of day can make! This time we sat in the middle, since my sister's friend can only ride the ride there, and to be honest the view was not too obstructed- good job on the train designs in this regard, B&M. During the ride, I forgot the loop around the lift even existed, so boy was I caught off guard for a second..."OK, here comes the Zero G...WAIT WHAT DA!?!?" Thankfully, I didn't forget any of the rest of the ride! As for the ride itself...mostly the same as before. Restraints were a bit tight on my shoulders but didn't tighten, very forceful, and very fast-paced. However it was a bit rougher, it seemed, as there was a vibration from the seat but it was still smoother than Flight of Fear. Banshee was worth a 4 1/2 hour wait the first time and thus it was easily worth a 2-train wait. Score: 10/10! With the group re-united, we headed from Banshee to a nearby coaster I have ridden before, but not under its current name/theme... RIDE #3: The Bat (formerly Flight Deck) Wait: Walk-On...unless you count the q-line, then it's 5 minutes. Well, consider me a teeny bit disappointed. The re-theme of Flight Deck is just a new paint job and a re-name, and while it looks great now, I can still clearly see TOP GUN/Flight Deck's old aircraft theme under the new paintjob. As for the ride itself? Same-Old, Same-Old...Fun, Furious, Fast...but a bit too short. Score: 8/10 Our journey through Action Zone continued, as after heading back up Bat's ramp (on the way, I turned and "looked up"...and saw clear sky where previously a mountain O' wood stood), we headed back to the AZ Midway and towards a ride my sister seemed to be leading us to...which was something I have not ridden since 2010... RIDE #4: Invertigo Wait: >5 Minutes (1 Cycle) When Invertigo has a short line, you KNOW the park is dead! This was my first ride on the coaster since its repaint in 2012, and to be honest, I recall my 2010 ride being better. This one was forceful and fast, but also head-bangy rough! Ow! It gave me a headache too. Thankfully, we had painkillers that nerfed it quickly and it was no longer a problem for most of the day. A decent ride in spite of this, but...I can't give more than a 7 here. Score: 7/10 After Invertigo, we hit up Chicken Shack (again- we had done it on opening day as well) and split up a plate O' Chicken yet again. As it was last time, it was delicious, but I took care not to eat too much- I still wanted to do rides. So did 2 of my sister's friends...and they had their eyes on a big spinny frisbee ride nearby... RIDE #5: Delirium Wait: >5 Minutes (1 Cycle) While in line, I saw some dudes using Fast Lane. A waste of money, as they rode Delirium on the same cycle we did, and we were in the regular line. The ride itself, which I last rode in 2011, is still good, airtime-and-speed filled swinging fun. But it's better than ever now, since you can "kick" Banshee now! The only drawback? Ride Cycle could be a BIT longer...the fun ends too soon. Score: 9/10 After Delirium, the group expected to hit Adventure Express next, but after some discussion we ended up cutting across the park...and first up, my sister wanted to ride... RIDE #6: Boo Blasters on Boo Hill Wait: Walk-On The Q-Line is so dark...I could barely see anything. The effects seemed to be (mostly) working, save the chase scene which was broken down and the epic "ghost face wall" ending from before is gone. All 3 of our guns worked, which is a plus. Another plus is I actually won with a score of 660! Not terrible. As for the ride, same thing, but I would not be against a new dark ride replacing it, or at least fixing the broken stuff. Score: 7/10 After BBoBH, we headed for a much larger ride I was easily more excited to ride- but also a little curious, as I heard it has had a recent change since my last visit. That ride is... RIDE #7: Diamondback Wait: >5 Minutes Yeah, the lines were very short all day, as you can see by now! The trains did stack a few times, but it was kinda 50-50'ish- sometimes the crew did perfect, other times not so much, but it was never horrible. As for the seat belts? These things are supposed to save me HOW should the main restraint fail!?!? Seriously, it was so loose on me it may not as well have even been there! I assume these were added just to appease lawyers. However, the plus to this is that since the seat belts are fairly loose, they don't affect the ride at all. In fact, I was riding near the back with my sister and got killer airtime- it started off as floater, but turned into ejector as the ride dropped down nearly every hill, and there were surprise moments where there was airtime and I didn't expect it, and it was nearly always fairly strong...as for "The Rattle"? On this ride, I felt it it at the bottom of the first drop and that was it. Smooth the rest of the ride. Score: 10/10! After the awesome ride on Diamondback, we decided to head for a KI Classic that was for some reason closed on opening day... RIDE #8: The Kings Island & Miami Valley Railroad Wait: 5 Minutes (for train to show up) Well, it may lack all the animatronics and stuff it once had, but the conductor on the train was very fun to ride with as he gave facts about the park and other rides, and did point out the various "cool" things that the train still goes by...all while very fitting western music plays. Also, apparently a celebrity of sorts has checked into the Inn...a very fun ride, but I also saw more potential- add some more stuff back there like the train had in its young years, and you're golden. Score: 8/10 After the train, it was off to ride my favorite coaster at Kings Island... RIDE #9: The Beast Wait: 5 Minutes (for front row!) Well, I don't know what it was, but this Beast ride, while still very fun...felt a wee bit disappointing. After the amazing rides Banshee and Diamondback gave earlier, and the downright epic night ride on opening day 2014, I guess I was hoping for more from Beast. The ride started out great as usual- awesome first drop and second turn, then the smaller drop into the ravine. The section where the ride "flopped" was after the brake shed- it felt a wee bit sluggish compared to my last few rides. Thankfully, after the tunnel, the next few turns got the ride back on track with some solid laterals and the helix, of course, was epic. And the ride was pretty smooth for a wooden coaster throughout. Even a "bad" Beast ride is still awesome, though. Score: 9.5/10 After Beast, our journey continued around the park. Up next was a tiny little coaster that I had ridden on opening day... RIDE #10: Backlot Stunt Coaster Wait: Walk-On Odd but true- BLSC was ROUGHER than Beast. Weird. The ride was as I remembered otherwise- packing a punch in spite of being small with great g-forces, and some pops of airtime. The Fire Effect wasn't working this time, though. Still, it didn't need it too much- a good fun ride on a small coaster that my sister's friend's dad called a "Mini Maverick". I can kinda-sorta see that, I guess... Score: 8/10 Our counter-clockwise journey that began with Diamondback continued, leading us to an old coaster that has thrilled KI Fans since 1987... RIDE #11: Vortex Wait: Walk-On There were like, 5 riders on our entire train. Talk about empty trains, eh? I rode in 5-1 again, and got some solid air on the first drop. Vortex is quite rough, though due to my build and the way the OTSR's are, I didn't bother me much at all since I cannot get head-banged by it (and I still feel Invertigo was worse). The loops and corkscrews were fun and forceful, and the ride was pretty good. However, there is one problem for Vortex: Banshee's debut has kind of made Vortex a bit weaker in my eyes, as it does many of the things Vortex does (strong forces, numerous inversions) and does them with an inverted element and with much smoother transitions. However, Vortex is still a very good ride and I do hope the park does keep it. Lapbars, if possible, though would be a HUGE help... Score: 8/10 After Vortex, we took a short break in Coney Mall. Afterwards, we hit up the park's classic wooden coaster. RIDE #12: Red Racer (Blue Racer was SBNO) Wait: 10 Minutes (crew was super-slow in sending out trains at times, WTF?!?!) Yikes- what a difference weather conditions and 2 years can have on a woodie. In 2012, I rode Red Racer from the front seat and had a blast, with plentiful airtime and smooth track. This time? Same seat- but there was much less airtime in most spots (there were still some spots where I did get some decent ejector air though) and it was MUCH rougher- though still nowhere near Vortex or Invertigo levels, but well beyond Beast. I slammed my legs into the lap bar a few times. Ouch. It wasn't too bad, but this was a far cry from Racer's best. It just was not a great day for the wooden coasters of Kings Island... Score: 7/10 After Racer, we hit up another nearby coaster in Oktoberfest... RIDE #13: Adventure Express Wait: Walk-On While the jerkyness and rough transitions hurt Vortex pretty bad, on AE, due to the decreased speeds of course, they are OK and add to the charm. This is a very fun mine train coaster, and today all the theming and effects were working. AE basically did its thing, and was its usual fun self with good forcefulness and twists and turns. (I also turned my head to check what the view to the left from the 1st lift is like now that SOB is gone- it's mostly air now. Banshee really doesn't use much of the old SOB land...) Score: 8/10 And then, after Adventure Express, we hit up the park's icon- a long overdue ride, since my last one was in 2010. RIDE #14: Eiffel Tower Wait: Walk-On The Eiffel Tower gives such great views of the entire park- and being up there clearly showed me why WindSeeker never opened. Boy was it windy! Banshee looks awesome from up here, as do many of the other rides. It was also cool to try and see how far away I could see stuff. The Eiffel Tower- yeah, it's almost always fun. Unless it's freezing cold out. Thankfully, that was not the case this time. Score: 8/10 After the Eiffel Tower, our next ride ended up being a re-ride on Diamondback. RE-RIDE: Diamondback #2 Wait: Walk-On Rode from 1-2 (First Car, 2nd Row) this time. Was expecting a good drop in the amount of airtime, due to being in front, and while it was a drop-off it was not a big one at all- I still got a LOT of air. Also, this time the ride was very smooth from start to finish- no "Rattle" at all. Heh, Diamondback was just awesome today. Score: 10/10 again! And we followed that up with a ride on a much wetter ride... RIDE #15: White Water Canyon (x2) Wait: 5 Minutes due to path, otherwise walk-on White Water Canyon- the wooded setting alone makes this ride awesome IMO. Then you have the pure fun of spinning and wondering "Who will get soaked the worst?" Well, that's hard to answer- because during our 2 rides (we got off and back in line) we got DRENCHED. In part due to the water cannons, because Friend's Dad was using them on us! Score: 8/10 After this, my sister took me and her friend through... RIDE #16: Snoopy's Splash Dance Wait: None I am not sure how to rate this- basically, it gets you wet with hoses and nozzles. It really is more aimed for kids, but it does drench you...ehh, I'll give it a 7 since it was kinda fun. Score: 7/10 And then we hit our last ride of the day, another water ride...and a Kings Island staple from 1972... RIDE #17: Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown Wait: Walk-On The name for this ride makes so much sense now- this ride was easily the scariest of the day. No lap bars, OTSRs, none of that to keep you in. Nor even a seatbelt. Just a metal bar on the side of the log...hang on. And our log rocked and shook A LOT during the ride down the canal...then came the final drop. Is this the Log Flume, or did Pilgrims' Plunge/Giraffica somehow come to Kings Island, because the wave was much bigger than expected...yeah, as far as "scare factor" goes, this made me quite the nervous wreck while riding it. It was fun though...I wonder if maybe we were too heavy or something. Ride alone next time, perhaps? Score: 7/10 After hitting RFYLCB, we did some shopping in the park (I got some nice Postcards) and then we headed to the car. It was only 6:30'ish...wow, never thought we'd be done with Kings Island so quickly. Yeah, we didn't ride Firehawk (couldn't get enough people to want to do it) and Drop Tower & WindSeeker were closed all day (DT due to needing parts apparently, and WindSeeker due to...Wind...) but other than that, what an awesome day at Kings Island. Totally makes up for only getting in 3 rides on Opening Day. Grand ride totals... RIDE TOTALS FOR TRIP Flight of Fear x2 Diamondback x2 White Water Canyon x2 Beast x1 Banshee x1 Vortex x1 The Bat x1 Adventure Express x1 Backlot Stunt Coaster x1 Invertigo x1 Red Racer x1 Delirium x1 Eiffel Tower x1 Boo Blasters x1 KI & MV RR x1 RFYL CB x1 Snoopy's Splash Dance x1 Total: 20 Rides 20 Rides in 1 Day...could have likely done much more had we had a smaller group, but it was still awesome. Now for the good and bad of the trip... PROS +NO LINES!!! +The B&M's were running amazingly well +Food was delicious- hiring a head chef seems like it was a good call thus far +Park was pretty clean and tidy +Staff was friendly and- mostly- efficent CONS -Wooden Coasters weren't running 100%, however -Racer crew was VERY slow at times Overall, this was a very good visit to Kings Island. I am SO looking forward to more visits like this in the future. Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed this trip report. Comments/Questions are welcome. See you!

OK- my sister's friend took these pictures from the Eiffel Tower, and I got permission from her on the way home to share them. So here are some cool pictures from my trip for you guys: The Royal Fountains. Always so purdy. Coney Mall as seen from the Eiffel Tower. Racer was rough but kinda fun, Vortex was rough but fun, BLSC was fun, and WindSeeker just stood there doing nothing all day. Here is the other side of Coney Mall, which still has Racer in it, but also Flight of Fear (very fun but also very violent- beware!), Firehawk (didn't ride), and Adventure Express (fun as usual with all of its stuff working- yay!). Here is a great photo for this year- the newly revamped for 2014 Action Zone! Plus Viking Fury at da bottom. Banshee was epic, and The Bat and Delirium were very fun too. Too bad Drop Tower is still broken, though. And here is a somewhat different angle of AZ, with a better view of Invertigo, aka "The Blender". It was still kinda fun though. Planet Snoopy. You'd think that since it's a kid's area, it's all fun and games. YOU ARE WRONG, for this area contains the scariest ride I have been on in the entire park...a Log Flume!!! (DA DA DUM!!!) Here is Rivertown- possibly the most "fun" section of entire park in spite of only having 4 rides, but they are all really good rides. Especially the 2 roller coasters- an airtime filled B&M Hyper and the legendary wooden coaster Beast. WWC and the KI&MV RR are also great. EPIC Diamondback TILT POSE!!! And also look there, it's...AAAAAAHHH STAY AWAY FROM ME YOU CRAZY LOG FLUME!!! Here is one more pic of Banshee...Hmm, I can't help but shake the feeling that just a few years ago, something BIG would have been the center focus of this shot, hence the bald spots in the grass in the background... And now the only non-Eiffel-Tower pic she took... Words cannot describe the awesomeness of this image. Well, hope you enjoyed these photos from the trip!

Great report! The problem with WindSeeker is that it's very good at seeking wind, but it doesn't know what to do with the wind when it finds it. And weight, both total and the distribution thereof, plays a large role in determining the size of the splash on the log flume. Heavier boats will get larger splashes, as will boats where the majority of the weight is in the front.

I would love to see that picture. Being so long ago I have very few memories of my trip to Opryland.Scan it and upload it to photobucket or some other host. I think I figured it out. This was probably around 1985-86. I'm the short little guy in the front.

A mini coaster marathon was the biggest highlight of my trip Monday. 6 Banshee rides, 4 Bat rides, 3 DB rides and a Beast ride all in 2½ hours. Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S3 using Tapatalk

You can buy men's cargo pants and wear them. It's a fabulous fashion statement, too. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Not a good idea. It's not heat I'd be worried about. Parasites, fungus, even hookworm...