Leaderboard

It seems like it's a new thing this year and may be the result of more of us going mobile but we do not need up to the minute threads about different rides going down for whatever short term reason throughout the day. This does not apply towards talking about rides that have been closed for a period of time (more than a couple days). Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

I was present at the park on Saturday and rode Lightning Run - twice. First the park pros: It's definitely been freshened and has a "cleaner" look and feel to it. The waterpark expansion is terrific, looks great and is huge! There were TONS of people there, and they were very excited. The park cons: There's still an IMMENSE amount of work left to be done. They met there deadline to open on time... I suppose... but many obvious things remain. Trash cans were few and far between. If it were me... I get that addressed pronto! More queue systems need installed for the newer attractions to deter lines from stretching into the midways. Lightning Run I was pleasantly surprised at the ride's overall riding experience. Someone's earlier claim in this thread that it was "better than Banshee" is silly. That's comparing apples to oranges... or grapes to grapefruit. LR is a small, compact coaster and isn't on the same playing field as a coaster of Banshee's size and scope. This is Chance Rides first full-circuit coaster, and really is a stand-alone new experience. Because of it being "tightly wound" I was leery of possible jarring transitions with neck snaps. Much to my surprise, the overall coaster glides smoothly and the transitions are really impressive. The first drop is fun and Maverick-like. My favorite part was the ground level series of "s curves" just before the final bunny hops. There's pops of air on those bunny hills, but it's not floater air. It's more of the Magnum XL200 jolting pops on the final bunny hills. Some riders enjoyed the more jerky air pops, some riders did not. Obviously the rear of the train experiences them more abruptly than the front. It has great speed for a smaller coaster and it hits the final brakes hard with lots of inertia behind it. Now for the really bad news.... The restraints are uncomfortably confining, to say the very least. I can probably understand why they are designed to be as tight fitting as they are. However the restraints will, mark my words, be the largest complaint inducer of the ride. Walk of shames were happening left and right. More problematic however, was the fact that the train was dispatching an average of every 10 minutes. Even if the 2nd train had been running, it would have faced a lengthy stack time due to the excruciating waits resulting from restraint issues. Let me explain the scenario: There were 3 ride ops... two checking, one operating panel. Exiting guests had to completely exit the station before gates were opened. When guests boarded the car, they were instructed they must first buckle the belts and not touch the restraint. This was so the two ride ops (only a single on each side) could check belts unobstructed. Guests invariably pulled down the lap bar, prompting the ride op to have to signal and request a release for each individual lap bar that had been pulled. Then, they finished checking belts for the train. From there, the ride panel op would then announce lap bars were lowering and people began to lower themselves. Much to the chagrin of many, the bars would not go down far enough, and the ride panel op would then make announcements on the PA system as to which seats were not fitting. "2, 7, 10 Right and 3, 8, 9 Left." Ouch! That prompted a re-release of those restraints, retries, pushes, tugs, standing on them (not kidding) etc. The op panel obviously has a sensor system than measures if a restraint has met it's required level. Well, more often than not, it wouldn't after numerous tries resulting in a final "sorry you will not be able to ride." This to the guest that had just waited through the long line that didn't have a test seat at the entrance. Not only that, tall folks were having issues with the shin restraints impeding the ability to lower the lap bar all the way. I'm 6' 3" not overweight. I fit, but I must admit the shin restraints were not comfortable and I got nervous the first time that they would impede my lap bar meeting the requirement. (I rode in the front seat and then 3/4 of the way back.) In addition to all of this confusion, the unload side op had to collect all the loose articles as people boarded into a bin (one for each car) that was placed on the unload side of the station. (How this will work with two trains remains to be seen.) Now all that having been said... it was the coaster's first day with the "public." I am sure adjustments will be made, and that tweaking of the restraints will become a part of the ride's installation. The ENTIRE Chance Team was observing the ENTIRE day. I have concerns however, given the obvious challenges the face with a "large" (...in the waistline - Louisville has one of the highest obesity rates in the country) clientele, that vast modifications will need to be made to the restraint system. Judging by the struggles I witnessed, changes are necessary. Operationally, I give the park a break... again it was Day 1. However a 3-person crew on the parks new signature coaster just will not float. If the above procedure is what they will be following all season, then they must staff at least 6 on the crew. (Line sorter, Panel Op, 2 checkers each side.) Until they get a more fluid load system in place, then there's really no need to run a second train. Not running a second train will back the line up into the midway (see above) and thus LR needs a queue house or pad to hold waiting guests (which it doesn't have!?!) Now, let me conclude by once again prefacing that this was all DAY 1. Any park, run by any owner, with any new ride faces struggles. My words come from a place of observation, not judgement, and with no ill will (seriously.) But they also come from a place of concern, and surprisingly enough, encouragement to those I witnessed wanting so badly for the park to be a success. Time will tell. I'll re-visit sometime later... much later... before I pass judgement and throw stones. ;-)

If the park is still open in 2016...

I understand where you are going with it, but I do recall a time The Beast had just a buzzbar and no seatbelt and I do not recall anyone flying out? I recall the ride being more enjoyable then, as well as a little scarier! The sad thing is because of the lawsuit crazy society we live in are the reasons all the additional "safety things" happen. It should be the rider's responsibility to know the rules and guidelines of the ride and obey them. I know the lapbar came down the required amount and that my seatbelt is secure and having a speed check by an employee doesn't make me feel any safer. But again, I am not the individual that is done for. I witness on almost every trip a rider that thought the seatbelt was optional on one of the rides I am in line with. And then when we get the individual with a pre-existing condition (bad back, obese, etc.) and either gets denied the ride or worse like injury or death, we then see additional measures put in place, even on rides nothing like the one where an incident took place. I don't know this for a fact and I am sure there are exceptions, but I would think most of the rides probably cannot dispatch if the lap bar/restraint is not secured, so the employee speed check is more for insurance liability reasons and redundancy than anything else. Now I do realize that none of the seatbelts have this feature, so they are checking that. I get into my vehicle and strap my seatbelt on and never has anyone done a pull on it to insure that I secured it properly, yet statistically, one is more likely to be injured or die in an automobile accident than an amusement park ride accident.

I might go to some amusement park this week, date and location to be determined. You might want to return the first week of June, when the park starts to close at 10:00pm, to get those. Make sure to ride Adventure Express at night as well, which is even better after Banshee's lighting package. For future reference, Fridays early in the season are great days to visit.

As a former ride op here's my two cents. Safety is the most important responsibility of any ride op on any ride. Capacity, entertainment, efficiency, etc. can all go out the window, safety takes time, patience, and dedication. I expect ride ops to learn the sounds, usual tendencies, safety systems & fire extinguisher locations, etc. etc. etc. I expect them to comply with that before anything else. I did not have ops spiel until they were competent to do the job like it was their lifelong duty. Once the muscle memory and consistency are ingrained and perfect, then I can expect them to possibly multi task. However for a fresh new ride op to multi task, it doesn't end well. They may miss something, or not answer a question, or not have their eyes watching the ride (fumbling with mic, etc. etc.). However again once they're ready, let em take the mic and spiel to see how it works. If it doesn't work quite right, they can pass the mic back to someone else who's ok with it. It just all depends. Give the ops time and operations will get smoother at KI. They only get a day to a few days of training before they see people, and once they see people honestly they are still being trained. They are still learning the techniques and tricks to do their job to the best of their ability. Trust me the first couple of weekends I had serious gripes, some around me saw me roll my eyes at operations. However again it just opened, I expect issues. The ride supervision and leadership will iron all that out in due time, if not feedback will eventually hit the ride and it will take care of itself. In regards to spiels, information is nice to pass to the guests. It does help the guest and us as ride ops on how to board, where loose articles go, platform info (gates closed, someone handicap boarding, we'll get you on the next ride, etc.). Plus, as a ride op imagine doing a full 12+ hour day rotating the same positions all day on a quiet platform of just guests talking that's it. It helps keep a fun atmosphere alive (who doesn't want to have fun at work, especially at an Amusement Park) and also keeps the upbeat atmosphere on the ride up for the guests. A good person on the mic can get riders stoked for the ride and have fun, plus hearing an applause or a yell or something at the end of the ride. It boosts energy and fun for the guests and ride ops alike. I can't complain there. If you can belt out a fast spiel that gets some good necessary information out and some fun playful things that are appropriate and ok, I can't complain there at all. If the spiels are bad, hand over the mic or let there be a quiet platform. It's better to have nothing over the mic than a constant boring disinterested drone. So all in all for you TL:DR folks. If they do it right and correct, and have a bit of fun with it amongst the employees and guests alike, there's nothing wrong it in my eyes, and I praise them for being fun and creative. If they suck, keep quiet and just do your job and develop a better spiel. My spiel sucked week one, after about a week of working it out with crew members and my roomates, I got better. My end of May I was rocking on the mic and having a blast with it while working the ride. Same can be said for KI ride ops if they're determined to. For y'all that want the get in get out be quiet walkthrough deal, that's fine, but it's not all about you. Spiels work for employees just as much as guests being honest. Let us have fun at work with you while you ride, sounds like an awesome concept.

Couldn't agree more, that would be like going through the McDonalds drive thru and them saying "Welcome to Burger King, may I take your order". It would seem kinda childish to me as it would with the Six Flags thing.

But with a statement like that, I wonder why it has to be made? From a park point of view, why would I want my workers confusing my paying guests? I want them to know they are at a Cedar Fair park, not a park of flags....

http://www.wkyc.com/longform/news/local/geauga-county/2014/05/19/geauga-lake-from-icon-to-eyesore/9279255/ Also tonight WKYC TV-3 Cleveland will be airing a story on Geauga Lake durring the 6pm newscast.

Greg Scheid said at the ACE event this weekend Drop Tower was operating the day before opening for test runs. It then broke and needs a part and they hope to have it open by early June. I'll take his word on it. The food truck was moved to Rivertown (across from the new pretzel place) for the ACE event (Saturday). I imagine it was moved later that night to a behind the scenes area. The blue ice cream was good.

Sadly, in all my years at KI...I have never rode AE at night. Always spent my time at the back of the park at that great coaster. Have heard a lot of noise since coming to this site about AE's night ride. And it's one of my favorite Arrow's ever. This year man...

I'm a little sad I will not get my Banshee or Beast night ride. But if waiting 10 minutes per coaster is the price to pay...the less the merrier. For me.

Jonathan you should go tomorrow. I am going tomorrow. I know in years past Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays have been excellent days to go. With Banshee being so new, it's going to be interesting seeing if that changes. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I don't mind information and courteous interactions. Sarcasm, and incorrect information does not provide anything positive or useful to anyone.

Look at you adults just adulting all over the place

Meanwhile, the ride ops can do that which they were hired to do...safely and effectively operate the ride. What a concept!

I love BGT's pre-recorded spiels. You hear it twice. Once in English, and once in Spanish. "Please step into the coaster as quickly and safely as possibly. Once seated, pull the shoulder harness to your waist and lock you safety belt. Now, sit back as you experience the terror of Montu." "Por favor..............."

Indeed. It is as if the little spielers are seeking approval of the cognoscenti. If I owned or managed the park, I'd go back to the way rides were operated for decades...ride ops who talk only in emergencies. Violation of this rule would result in immediate dismissal. Ride ops are supposed to safely operate the rides. They were never meant to be in the Entertainment Department. Those who think they are are sadly mistaken. I'd bet surveys of park guests would show the overwhelming majority find ride ops and their microphones to be an annoyance. So many yell, say things they think are cute which moms and dads find annoying, etc. For the most part, Paramount Parks ride ops did not spiel. The park was a much nicer place for it.

Something I hope guests noticed was how prompt we were at dealing with questions and request. An issue today for Thunder Run was line jumping. I had security escort a good number out of the park for that reason alone. I hope people see we are strict with our rules so people can enjoy themselves.

Here is a great article about Kentucky Kingdom and its future plans... http://www.courier-journal.com/story/life/family/2014/05/19/kentucky-kingdom-ready-reopening-officials-say/9301559/

Well, if Big Droppy Thing at NJFTP had delays due to winter weather, I can only imagine it was worse in Gurnee, IL. Also, due to the NTG incident, RMC can't afford to rush things no matter how hard Six Flags wants to push them.

I'm pretty sure that I've called it all three at times myself. Yes, I am. I'm going with the knowledge that I will more than likely not be riding very much. I just want to see firsthand how a park that has been SBNO for years is going to handle the large influx of patrons that I expect to be there. Considering that my only other visit to KK in 1998 ranks as one of my worst park experiences ever, this should be fun since I'm going in expecting the worst. I sincerely hope they surprise me. I want to like the place, honestly I do. I was going to give them another chance in 2010, but then they announced they weren't reopening. This will be my only trip there this year, but I fully intend on going back sometime mid-season next year to compare opening day this year to what their operations will become in the future. I'm glad I talked to you yesterday about this and read your post today. I won't even bother with Lightning Run on Saturday since I know that there will be no chance in Hades that I'll be able to fit. I'm looking forward to enjoying their flying scooters and another ride on Flying Dutchman. I missed it last time I was there and haven't ridden it since it was at KI. I'm still debating whether I will brave the waterpark with the temps that are predicted. It may be too chilly for me... we'll see.

OK- some factors that should be taken in when trying to "Decode" this: They say this will be "Holiday World's Largest Project Ever". I'm assuming that means "most expensive". The previous record holder for this title is Mammoth, the $9 million dollar water coaster added in 2012. "By Far" could mean a few million dollars more, or we could be talking $20,000,000+. However, since Holiday World is a smaller park, the latter seems like a bit of a stretch. I would not, however, be shocked at something in the $15,000,000 range- though that kind of rules out most B&M's, since they tend to build much larger, more expensive rides than that. (Also: According to Ed Hart's plan to re-open Kentucky Kingdom, he does NOT think Holiday World can add a very expensive large steel coaster- so if they do he is kind of screwed as that ruins his entire strategy...) As for what does Holiday World "need"? Well, 2 things- they need a true family-oriented coaster (more on the level of Backlot Stunt Coaster or Adventure Express) since there is a MASSIVE gap between Liberty Launch, arguably their most "intense" flat ride, and The Raven- their "least" intense wooden coaster. I could easily see them building something for my estimated $15M in this class of ride. The other thing Holiday World needs is a coaster with an inversion, since all 3 of their "thrilling" coasters are traditional woodies. There are many ways Holiday World could go here as well, however, it might make sense to get something Kings Island nor Kentucky Kingdom have- which kind of makes the B&M Flying Coaster make a bit of sense, though I'd wonder how they can afford it unless it is a smaller model. They could in theory kill 2 birds with one stone by building a Cheetah-Hunt like ride, which is family focused but includes inversions. Though it would probably be Premier, Zierer, or Mack because I really don't see Holiday World working with Intamin ever again after how angry they seemed at the Pilgrims Plunge/Giraffica install. This will be interesting...and probably a bit fun too, since it sure was fun to decode Banshee for Kings Island last year...

They will get the worlds largest noodle.

I remember the automated spiels at Son of Beast mainly becuase they were awkward in the sense that the returning train of people who had just been beaten to death were OVER IT. I always found some comedy in that situation. That being said, I enjoyed the automated spiels from the Paramount days. Just seemed more professional.

I was a former owner of FUN, bought around $13 a share a few years back, sold once it broke through $40 Also owned Disney that I bought around $23 a share and sold for a nice profit as well. I held a few other leisure stocks that I have sold Great Wolf, Royal Caribbean to name a few. I always approached buying stock as something to do for fun, own what I like, and I always bought when I thought they were low with the intention to hold them until they reached certain dollar amounts. Typically a long range plan. But if you are investing for your son I would recommend at looking at a mutual fund or an age based fund of funds. Also you can set these up where there are tax benefits and tax savings. Taxes are a big issue when you just have a standard open stock account and they can eat in to the profits. Something else to consider is making monthly investments in your account, no matter if the market is up or down. As always I advise speaking with an individual that has the appropriate certifications and doesn't work for a bank. Sorry folks but bank employed investment reps make some of the biggest commissions in the industry as well as sell what they are told or incentivized to sell.

I dont think the problem with Spiels is the individual but more a company mindset problem. When you have young men and women, who have not been trained on what is and isnt appropriate, and you give them a microphone and tell them "entertain the masses" you end up with some bright spots, some low lights, and mostly in-betweens. While yes, a spiel can be done so that it is entertaining and not distracting, the question remains why would you put that into the hands of unprepared young men and women. Having the ride ops all say the same thing "how was your ride" may seem boring and generic, but its better than the alternative of a kid trying to make jokes by changing the name of the park/ride/stats. I will go into better detail about the TTD experience from a few years ago. The op on the microphone wouldnt speak till he checked his section of the ride. HE would then go through the safety of the ride. While others were getting checked he would ask for riders to raise their hands if it was the first time. Ask if anyone was from the west coast, etc. He had a great up beat attitude and made the experience all the better. I think he did ask how was the ride, but honestly, his previous interactions made this question seem genuine. I dont go to a park to be entertained by the ride ops. I go to experience the park, to be entertained by the entertainers and to enjoy the coasters. If a ride op wants to give me stats on a coaster, thats great. Welcome me to the park and ask how my ride was, okay so be it. But I dont like the idea of a ride op trying to steal the show from the individual ride.

I think the park and it's employees are trying to generate a unique experience for guests. In a world dominated by technology and non-personal interaction, I think their attempt at connecting with and entertaining park guests should be praised. That being said, The Beast ride operator from that video is simply trying to entertain and create a unique experience for guests visiting The Beast. Had he not been doing so, you wouldn't even have noticed that he was there, and they would have seemed just as boring and the same as the operators at all the other rides. After all, where is the fun in being "just like everyone else"? Certainly not at Kings Island, the fun and only.

The enthusiasm and the different approaches to trying to be amusing at an amusement park are a part of the job, just as safety is a part of the job. Safety comes first, but unless someone's enthusiasm is hindering the safety, the enthusiasm probably shouldn't be seen as a problem. There's a lot of hate going to these guys on here. I will say as far as their spiels go, it would be less awkward and nicer if they didn't ask how that ride was, prompting the train to be expected to scream. Just to say something simple like, "Welcome back green train! When the ride comes to a complete stop please push down on your -- etc." And genuine friendliness and energy is always welcomed and well received; humans mirror emotions after-all. I wouldn't vouch for no talking whatsoever, that's awkward. The screaming guy is too much though, I'll agree though, especially with him having a microphone. -- I feel like this thread has turned from sharing of some funny or unique things that ride-ops have done, to being a bit of a bash. -My two cents.

I bet if Apollo had been able to buy the chain, we'd have a giga by now. At the cost of maybe closing down or selling off a handful of parks they might deem not profitable enough alongside the big moneymakers like a Point or an Island or even a Wonderland, or to offset the cost of acquiring the Six Flags brand as well and further liquidating assets to a more manageable status.

On Vortex during my most recent visit, I caught the ride op on the mic stating "Oncoming riders, how was your ride?" I'm not even kidding.

If I were GM, and heard that, my response to the ride op would be "Have a great day in the unemployment line, here is your final paycheck."

Oh one more thing about spiels. On a visit this year I had my son in line for a ride he had never ridden, and as part of an operator's comedy routine incorrect stats were given about that ride. If my boy had been paying attention and heard them state that that particular ride goes upside down four times there is no way in this world he would have gotten on. In addition to that, he would have thought of me as a liar. How so? Before every new ride experience his question is "does it go upside down?" and since I said "no" he would assume that I was playing a trick on him after someone in official uniform said that it does.

I got back from Busch Gardens Tampa a couple of hours ago. I didn't even realize until reading this thread that the ride ops did not spiel at all. I didn't miss it and sure enough all of us were able to have a great time without it.

Thunder Run: One Train. Lightning Run: Low Capacity. Twisted Twins: Closed. T2: Closed. Lack of capacity plus a huge crowd doesn't make for happy employees, guests or management. This hopefully will only be a big problem opening day.

Hue difference? The original OTSR's were black. The restraints now are orange. There you go.

A new sign next to The Beast's entrance.

You know what I mean. [emoji57] I'm also impressed at how fast the line was going. Was expecting like a 45 minute wait but it was only like 20 minutes. These people do a great job at operating Banshee! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

There was the great experimentation of Auto-spiels at the Point. It started with Millie when she first opened, by 2004 most rides had them, by 2008 they were mostly gone.For the most part I didnt kind them, others however believed the world was ending without talking ride ops. My favorite was White Water Landing with the fiddle interludes, however I still cringe when Corkscrew's randomly pops into my head, that voice was annoying. Humourously, durring that same time CF got rid of auto-spiels at Geauga Lake and had Talking ride ops.

I plan to work my 4th year in a row of Haunt this year.

The following is my Day 2 Trip Report (Darien Lake). No pics because I'm lazy and can't be bothered to use my slow old iPhone 4 any more than I need to. We left our hotel around 9:30 to get breakfast and be at the park for their 10:30 opening. I headed to Ride of Steel first since I figured it would have the longest waits later. This technically did happen, as it was generally a 15 minute wait while everything else was a walk-on all day . Crowds were so light that every coaster was on one-train operation, and with the exception of Ride of Steel, rows were usually empty. I was very surprised to see this on a weekend, particularly a weekend that for people just a few miles away in Canada, is a holiday weekend. Before we got on Ride of Steel, we went to The Predator since it was on the way and nobody was in line. It's a fun little Dinn Woodie, but for everyone who thinks Mean Streak is rough, I laugh at you. You don't even KNOW rough until you ride Predator. It was still enjoyable as I don't mind rough coasters and it had some surprising pops of airtime throughout. Solid coaster overall. We ended up going to Ride of Steel next. As an aside, I will note that from what I heard people calling rides today, Darien Lake also suffers from what I call "Kings Island Syndrome" a disease in which peoples' minds are stuck in time and they continue calling coasters by names they haven't had for many years. I heard many people refer to this ride as "Superman" which would have been incomplete in 2006, and is outright incorrect in 2014. But I digress. Ride of Steel is an Intamin hypercoaster with some killer airtime (ba dum tss) and surprisingly forceful lateral g's in its two ginormous helices. Unfortunately, I have to dock points because it commits the one unforgivable sin of coaster design in my book: It contains a long, flat, straight stretch of track that is neither a launch strip nor a brake run. I don't see why. There was plenty of room for a bunny hill or series of S-bends a la Backlot, or ANYTHING but a long, straight, flat stretch. Despite this point deduction, I enjoyed the ride and it looks like Diamondback gets to retain its title as my LEAST favorite hypercoaster. Heading in a circle around the park, out next stop was Boomerang. Being that it is a typical Vekoma Boomerang, I don't feel a need to go into great detail. It wasn't "rough" as people often describe Boomerangs, but certainly forceful, and not always in a good way. Sitting in my seat while the train climbed the lift hill was a bit uncomfortable, moreso even than the same experience on Invertigo. Being a Cedar Fair regular, it is very odd riding an inverting coaster with no seat belts. The only other Boomerang I had ridden previously was the Carolina Cobra, and I preferred that one. The new style Vekoma trains are much more comfortable than the old ones and are among my favorite train designs ever. I find them even more comfortable than the OTSRs seen on Banshee and Gatekeeper (post collarbone fix). This Boomerang uses the old ones, however, and I'd really rather see Arrow trains a la The Bat at Canada's Wonderland or new Vekoma trains a la the Carolina Cobra. After this coaster, we continued our loop toward MotoCoaster. MotoCoaster was another one that I had to wait a bit for, but it wasn't too bad. I honestly wasn't a huge fan. I could not handle that seat design on a long coaster. The restraints were not very comfortable, and it is generally not a fun position to be in while riding a coaster. Plus, the ride has one awkward bump that seems to throw you to the left just before a relatively sharp right turn, leading to a bit of unpleasantness. Not an unenjoyable coaster, but I could certainly take it or leave it. I'd much rather have a Wild Mouse since the footprint is similar and the ride is much more fun. Fortunately, when that was done, it was time for Viper Viper is a classic Arrow Looper with a queuing area that seems to be longer than the one on The Bat. It was worth the walk though, as it is my new favorite Arrow Looper (besides my beloved Vortex, that is ). It has a single loop, a batwing, and then a double corkscrew, bringing its total to five inversions. It was the first coaster with this many, and I've now ridden the first coasters with 3, 4, 5, and 6 inversions. I really like Viper. Its solid black color scheme looks surprisingly nice. The decals on the trains cover the entire thing in a green, scaly, reptilian pattern that really pops against the black track. Plus, if you sit in 1-1, you are treated to a fully open foot area. Imagine if the entire "wedge" on the first car of Vortex was open. That is the kind of leg room you get, and it is AWESOME. The ride's finale has a surprisingly smooth helix for an early 80s Arrow Looper and they even throw in a tunnel for some extra fun. I really can't recommend this coaster enough. And then it was the moment I'd been dreading... Mind Eraser. My first Vekoma SLC. I boarded the train with dread after hearing the descriptions of the pain and headbanging that comes with these rides. After riding it, all I can say is that y'all are a bunch of babies. It really wasn't THAT bad. Would I rather be on a B&M Invert? Oh, without a doubt. But the ride was fun, and for a small park, I think they are certainly worth the comparatively small price tag. I rode it another two times and would do so again (and will do so, kinda, when I go to Canada's Wonderland on Tuesday). it was definitely not a coaster to write home about, but it was not bad by any stretch of the imagination. After Mind Eraser, we got lunch at the Beaver Brothers Lakeside Cafe, a full-service sit-down restaurant in the park. I had a macaroni and cheese burger, which is exactly as it sounds: a hamburger topped with Macaroni and Cheese. It was decent. I happily finished it, but wouldn't likely order it again for the price. The restaurant was also eerily empty, and as much as you'd THINK complete silence in a restaurant would be a good thing, it is really very strange. After lunch, we made another loop around the park and hit the coasters. I also got some flat rides in, and for the record, I still REALLY don't like Enterprises. Though I got to ride my first non-giant Top Spin and I liked it a lot. I continued getting re-rides until we decided to leave the park to have dinner at Denny's. And then we discovered the holy grail. Across the street from the park, maybe a quarter mile down the road is their storage area. We pulled off the road and took a peek and I caught a glimpse of the remains of Batman The Escape. It was moved to Darien Lake in 2005 and put into storage there. The ride never got installed at the park. I do not know if it was supposed to be or what its fate will be, but the track pieces are not looking too hot after laying in a field for nearly a decade. After returning to the park, we got in a quick ride on Ride of Steel and Predator and then waited for their nightly laser light show "Ignite the Night". The show was very well done and technologically impressive. I enjoyed it even more than KI's nightly fireworks. Very well done for a small park. At the conclusion of the show we left the park and retired to our hotel room. Overall, Darien Lake is a wonderful park with a good variety of rides, but I'm not sure they're quite ready to be a destination park. If it is on your way to somewhere you are already going (as it was for me) then I highly recommend it. But it probably isn't really worth a special dedicated trip.

Let me just say that riding Banshee in the front is nothing less than amazing! One of the greatest experiences I've ever had! Edited cuz of Terp lol. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yeah - why doesn't Kings Island, and other Cedar Fair parks (not sure about Six Flags), have pre-recorded spiels? On every Disney World ride, like with Busch Gardens^^, they play those, then start the ride. It's a lot more professional sounding, and prevents from goofball ride ops getting carried away with the mic.

I am with Terpy 1000000000% on this!! Maybe its because of my previous careers, where B.S. wasnt needed, wanted, tolerated, and could even cost someone their Live because of lack of concentration in the task or situation at hand. Same with the aforementioned cashiers.... there is a DEFINITE reason I prefer automated self-checking machines. Dont give me B.S., I dont want to hear about the weather or anything that does not pertain to my getting in and out of that D amn store or ride station more quickly and efficiently/safely. Id have far preferred the female ride op who checked my restraints on Beast at 810pm on Opening Day to have spent the extra second or two to realize that she had pulled on my Tony Stewart hat that I had attached to my belt loop instead of the seatbelt she was SUPPOSED to pull on. In lieu of that, pull on the black loop that I was even nice enough to put on top of the lapbar to make it EASIER for her to find and check the seatbelt! Until these current ride crews can do this job effectively in their sleep, I have no desire, time, or patience for spiels!

Bad? What's bad about that? It's different. Very different. Terp, who suspects you don't realize how much this writer adores Great Advencha, New Jersey's Finest Theme Park

Amen. There is nothing more fake than that Cedar Point "Welcome back INSERT NAME OF RIDE HERE Riders, How was your ride?" invariably followed by "Awesome, push down, pull up on your lap bars and exit quickly and carefully to your right" regardless of rider response. It's ridiculous.

I just wanted to remind everybody, as a former Kings Island ride operator, that if you ever enjoyed something an associate does PLEASE don't hesitate to stop by Guest Services on your way out or shoot the park an email to compliment them. It gives those hard-working associates the recognition they deserve, brings them to management's attention, and can also boost their morale and continue their excellent performance.

The video of one of the tallest steel coasters at Six Flags Great America, Goliath, being topped off yesterday......

I just don't understand the sudden oversight here. Absolutely proper names should be capitalized and information should be accurate more than it's inaccurate, but what major amusement park doesn't have an unofficial dedicated fan site or discussion board or community? And of the ones that come immediately to mind, ours here at KICentral.com/forums is absolutely among the best moderated, most positive, pro-park, open discussion communities out there. This is not an outrageous garbage dump of accusations and anti-park / anti-Cedar-Fair nonsense. Altogether, this is wonderful and positive community that shares a common love and appreciation and respect for Kings Island and its direction under Cedar Fair. It's odd that "the park" even has a presence here in the form of DonKIPR. That's not typically the case - at least publicly - on the limitless other discussion boards out there. Look at Theme Park Review, which runs rampant with speculation, rumor, and downright negativity. The owner of that site is infamously rude - sometimes even offensive - and posts his questionable comments and opinions right alongside exclusive interviews and ERT photo reports, associating his particular brand of annoying-crazy with the site's exclusive content provided by parks! And yet, guess who's at Banshee media day? Look, too, at MiceChat, a community focused solely on Disney Parks (Disney being one of the most valiant defenders of intellectual property in the world today) where speculation and rumor are off the charts, every day, constantly. The site specializes in "leaks" and inside information from anonymous sources. Certainly there is no official "DisneyParksPR" account posting vaguely-threatening comments and sometimes being downright off-putting to the community there. (EDIT: Imagine "DisneyParksPR" commenting: "Not sure where you got all this inaccurate information but this site sure has a lot of it..." It's sort of laughable to imagine. Sort of like "Wow this is a pretty fun site. Too bad... Hope nothing happens to it.") There was a time when fans of Kings Island were celebrated for their enthusiasm and interaction. There was quite another time when they were seemingly ignored. The presence of an official "PR" account in this community seemed a shift toward the "old way," but now it's actually become off-putting. Does Kings Island have every right to view these boards and even participate on them? Sure, why not? And if something here falls out of alignment with their legal expectations, I should expect the site administrators to be contacted. But the downright dismissive tone is becoming tiresome... We're not the enemy, or some horrible vitriol-spewing Facebook fans. We're not even a "bad" fan community, as far as fan communities go. I'm glad for the park's presence here and I understand the account owner's obligation to defend the product he represents, but at this point it's like... we as a community are not harmful. We are not tarnishing Kings Island or Cedar Fair Entertainment Company. It's just frustrating to feel like we're being moderated by a multi-million dollar company when we're just fans having fun, being optimistic, and speculating together. It first occurred to me in a personal way two years ago when the park tweeted "What would you like to see added to the park map for 2012?" I said "TREES!" The "park" responded "It's a map of attractions, not of individual trees." Like, is that professional? Is it kind? I understand that as the most aggressive consumers of the product, we can be annoying. But c'mon. In what universe would Disney respond to a fan that way on Twitter? Universal? SeaWorld Parks? Six Flags? (EDIT: By the way, trees were added. Or... bushes. Either way, The Beast no longer looks like it's sitting in a field, making the map a much more accurate representation of the ride, thank you very much!) And that tone appears to be mirrored here, again representing the park as a sort of "big brother" whose presence here is only to scold us or keep us in line and remind us that we're in thin ice all day every day. Very odd. Not very welcoming. Not very FUN. Don't get me wrong: We're lucky that the park we love has become an active presence on this site. We're lucky that rather than ignoring us, news gets posted here and we're invited to participate in exclusive events at the park we all love. We're lucky that, in general, it seems Kings Island's management views this community as the positive, helpful, enthusiastic, and beneficial community it is. But the oversight... the sort of vaguely dismissive treatment... it's not exactly precedent, and that's my point.

The ride has been open this year. Thousands of guests have ridden it since Opening Day. A lot of inaccurate information about the park has been posted on this site this year. This is a free public anonymous message board where literally anybody can post anything. A lot of posters are in their very early teens, as one would expect on a website about an amusement park. What else would you expect? Your "a lot of misinformation has been posted this year" posts are starting to feel more and more melodramatic with each one. Maybe you're just reading the forum more this year? I don't know, I personally think this community does a darn good job of challenging rumors and misinformation on here that is bound to be posted from time to time given the very nature of this message board as explained earlier. For instance, there were multiple posts that addressed the poster who claimed WindSeeker hasn't been running this year before you jumped in. These guys are on top of it. But even with that, there's still going to be false rumors and misinformation posted with some regularity.