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Oh, for crying out loud.

Ride Op on Friday said "Enjoy your ride on Diamondback. The best ride at KI, cause we have BINS!" Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Once upon a time, there were editors, fact checkers, proof readers....

Well, then good thing then that "MGM" hasn't been part of that park since 2008 :-)

Haha The joys of operating on mobile... I doubt they sold much Flight Deck stuff. The Bat is probably a different case since it's more marketable.

I've said it before, I've said it again: "Banshee roller coaster safety mechanisms function as intended" would not be a very exciting headline. They have to take the same event and... jazz it up a bit if they want the views and clicks.

They could do like DC, and replace them with traffic circles aka rotaries aka roundabouts.

What I mean by that is that in the 1980s and early 1990s, it was "all the rage" in the park industry to build theme parks masquerading as movie studios. Universal, Disney, Warner Bros., and yes, even Paramount suddenly realized that bringing films into parks was easy to market. Even better, by saying, "We don't have to build a real Egyptian temple, it's a movie studio, so we can put it in a studio showbuilding!" parks could build very cheaply, with big massive showbuildings that are in no way disguised or hidden from view. No need to hide Star Tours behind an elaborate Tomorrowland facade - just put it in a very visible box! In the late 90s, Animal Kingdom and Islands of Adventure opened and changed the standard. Suddenly the new standard was highly detailed, themed lands that supported massive rides (as Disney had previously done at Disneyland and Magic Kingdom in an earlier era). Those parks are so immersive you can get lost in them. The detail is so rich, it's incredible. So those studio parks left from the early 90s - like Universal Studios Florida and Disney's Hollywood Studios - are aging poorly. Set next to Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios looks cheap... and it was. For one possible path for the park, look at Universal Studios Florida which is very clearly dedicated to turning their "Look, I'm a studio backlot!" into a park with appropriately themed lands. Sure, their entry land (with Despicable Me and Transformers) is called "Production Central" and maintains the backlot look. But have a look at the brand new land, Springfield U.S.A. which they built around the existing Simpsons Ride. Also, the new London / Diagon Alley. They're physically rebuilding that park as a theme park with themed lands instead of a hodge-podge of mismatched rides placed haphazardly next to each other. The situation was far worse at Universal Studios Hollywood, which developed very organically over many decades. Its upper lot is composed of rides scattered around with no logical layout whatsoever. That park is currently undergoing a 5-year expansion that started by physically BUILDING a central park icon from scratch and carving a "hub-and-spokes" format into the park. If you visit in 2016, you won't see the random hodge-podge of buildings. You'll walk down Hollywood Blvd. to the Universal Plaza Tower, where paths will diverge - one to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, one to Springfield USA, one to Gru's Neighborhood and Minions' Super Silly Fun Land. They're BUILDING a theme park with themed lands. No more big boxy showbuildings. No more mix-and-matched rides next to each other. Hollywood Studios needs that too, and this could be the start of it.

I was dragged to see this show last time we went to DHS because I was outvoted 2 to 1 by the Gatorettes. It was actually pretty decent, better than some other attractions I've seen in the park (namely Sounds Dangerous with Drew Carey and Monster Sound Show). But given the sagging ratings of American Idol, I can't really say that I'm surprised at this announcement. We're planning on going back down in December, so Mrs. Gator & GatorGirl will want to see it again one last time. I never understood those that say DHS can be done in half a day. Sure, there's not all that many rides, but throw in all the shows, One Man's Dream and The Magic of Disney Animation, we easily fill up a full day there every time. And that's even without seeing Lights Motors Action, something I've wanted to do the past two times but couldn't (the first time due to them re-surfacing the performance area and the second time due to it being cancelled for rain).

Some of my favorite memories as a kid involved going back to the car and eating our lunch we packed.

There is still a Flight Deck parking sign in Soak City.

Be careful. If you steam too much they'll report you're on fire next. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

SRR has been closed at least since Monday. I was mildly disappointed as that's one of my favorite flat rides at the park. Looks like that ride really needed a hug... Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk

I wouldn't have called myself a big waterpark person before too- but the waterpark at Holiday World is huge, so I'd suggest at least trying the "Water Coasters" Wildebeest & Mammoth as they are incredible- but they can also get 1-2 hour waits, so I'd hit them as soon as the waterpark opens if possible. There's also numerous waterslides that I could call nothing less than huge- ZOOMbabwe (100+ foot tall enclosed raft slide), Zinga (Giant Funnel), Jungle Racer (huge mat racing slide), Bakuli (Giant Bowl Slide), and Hyena Falls' biggest slide (with a half pipe) would be the standouts there. They also have a great lazy river, 2 huge wave pools, and 2 water play structures. However the waterpark can get really crowded really fast on most days so if you do make it a priority, it will eat most of your day right there though you should still be able to fit in the 3 wood coasters as well. They also have a decent log flume & river rapids ride. As for the flat rides, there really isn't much that stands out. Basically, Holiday World isn't a huge park like Kings Island, and one good thing about that is that you should really be able to hit all their big A-List attractions (which I'd say are the 3 woodies & water coasters) in one day with time to spare even if it's crowded. At Kings Island, on a crowded day, it's MUCH harder since there are even more people and also more "AAA" attractions you'd need to hit, so you may need to pick & choose.

"Are you like always here?" -op on Vortex "Hey! I know you! You were here last week!" -op on Delirium "You come here a lot" -op on Eiffel Tower "Hey, its that long haired kid whos always here!" op on The Bat "Hey there!" -op on Banshee "Do I know you?" -op on Racer "Seriously, this is like your millionth time on this thing." -op on Drop Tower Im getting the feeling that i go to KI too much

I know this is one of those temporary closures that doesn't deserve its own thread, yet it apparently deserved its own news story: http://m.whio.com/news/news/local/new-kings-island-Banshee-coaster-stuck/ngMNg/?ecmp=social_20140617_26115476

That would surely make me lose my mind. Man, I'm on a roll today.

I would love to have those back..but those TV's now prevent that

I second Los Angeles. Las Vegas traffic come to think of it is frightening too.

I couldn't tell if it was bring a friend day or a Jerry Springer guest convention. Definetly the rudest crowd I've seen since Grad Night 1980.

WTOP Newsradio, Washington, DC, reports that "the tallest, fastest wooden coaster in the world," named Goliath, opens at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois this week.

I'm Shipping Up To Boston, Dropkick Murphys

I always hate turning left onto Western Row when going to employee parking, hopefully this will make it less of a hassle. Recently I've been taking the long way to KI - driving down Montgomery then turning onto Columbia, and going straight into the employee parking. Much easier and less traffic.

I don't see how Hollywood Studios wouldn't be a studio park. It's called Hollywood Studios, first of all, and there's really no way to destroy every single building in the park that looks like a "studio" building, and then replace it with all new rides. I'm not sure what the problem is, anyways - I like HS...why are people so picky when it comes to buildings? I'd say it's what inside of them that matters...look at Harry Potter & The Forbidden Journey...you can see part of the show building in the queue line, but that doesn't change that it's one of the best rides out there.

For part one that is FC old queue house. To ride that ride you went up through the center of the ride platform via a staircase that has been filled in with concrete. The current "entrance" is actually the old ride exit for FC.For the other concrete pad I would need more of a location description. It might be a photo op location where a Flintstone car was located. I can't be certain without more info. Located between BBOBH and the pumpkin coaster Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk EDIT: Added So we arrived right before the storm with the plan to eat dinner in the Festhaus and watch the Boy Band show.... It was deafening in there. So much so, that we turned right around and went to Skyline around the corner... I would love to watch that show, but if its always that loud in there, no way Jose...

Terp--The Indy zoo gets 0 tax dollars from the government to help run it. Therefore, things like dynamic pricing serve to help its bottom line.

Aren't most of the attractions at Universal Florida in said boxy buildings? Transformers, Kong, Mummy, SpiderMan, Despicable Me, ET? Universal cant very well tear those down anytime soon. As for the Idol building at DHS, it was also once the home of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, so times change. I dont see Indy leaving the park. Even on a slow day there last month when I visted, the show still draws large crowds to every performance (and is still a fun show to watch).

Yesterday was the third time I've gone to one. It also was not the most crowded that goes to whatever year I went when it was bring a friend free. I had a lot of fun yesterday but we stayed in the water park. I don't mind the crowds when I am at the water park. I did notice the quality of people didn't seem to be the best. There was also a lot of people smoking wherever they pleased.

Thanks. I figured it would be picking up by that point in time now that all the schools are out. This is the day we can go, so we'll just deal with whatever the crowds and weather give us. I'm just hoping to get there and hit Banshee then maybe FoF or Diamondback, then we'll take it as it comes. We're going to have a 2 year old and 4 year old with us so I'm sure we'll spend quite a bit of time in Planet Snoopy. We'll definitely make use of the parent swap pass. If things work out I might try to hit up a few rides later in the day like The Bat, Invertigo, Adventure Express, etc, but I really want to try to at least do The Vortex and The Beast at some point later in the day. I grew up on those 2 coasters and a day at KI isn't complete without them!

And this is exactly why the park is trying out the season long and all-day dining plans. I know MANY season pass holders who in the past never spent a dime at the park who are now purchasing the season-long plan because they see it as a good deal. These plans generate revenue for the park off of people who normally wouldn't be buying food.

Oh yes, some of us like myself know full well the hard work Haunt is. Having done it for about 8 years myself..thanks to my knee probably never do it again so I enjoy it from a guest point of view. As Ryan pointed out Los Angeles is more entrainment based than say Cincinnati especially in acting. A lot of Knott's actors are actually....actors some of which played extras on television shows and such. LA is almost a completely different world. For Cincinnati, I'll agree KI does good but it'll probably never be Knott's or even Universal.

Although, currently the weather is calling for thunderstorms starting in the afternoon and running all evening. Should keep the crowds down, or send them home, but it also means many rides won't be running.

I had just gotten off Flight of Fear probably 10 minutes before the fire occurred. I met a friend up by the games near the entrance to the path for X Base around 10:30 AM. We then walked back towards X Base and he went to get in line for Flight of Fear while the rest of us got in line for Firehawk. We were next in line to ride when black smoke began to pour from what looked like the back end of the building. This was probably roughly about 10:35-10:45 AM. They made us evacuate Firehawk and my friend was in the UFO part of Flight of Fear when he was asked to evacuate. They told everyone with stuff in lockers to get it out. Later in the day Firehawk was up and running again. You could smell the smoke/burning odor all the way down by Diamondback for a little bit.

I'm watching the local CBS station in Dayton (WHIO or Channel 7) and they reported this is the second time the ride has caught on fire. I woke up the dogs steaming at the TV. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I have not been able to get myself on this ride yet. To paraphrase Tom Petty, the waiting (at the top) would be the hardest part. I'm glad it's operating, but I can't see me on it, as of yet.

It looks like some giants were playing Jenga and Shake, Rattle, and Roll got in the way.

Maybe. It almost looks like they have the arms supporting the weight of the entire structure. I've never seen anything like it. But they're clearly working on it so I'm sure it'll be back thrilling the kids in no time. Side note: SR&R was my first ride EVER at Kings Island.

Welcome to KIC! Congratulations on the impending marriage!

Oh, no doubt. I volunteered one night for St Rita's Haunted House and I was over it after about an hour. It certainly was a lot of hard work. Fun, but exhausting.Problem is, everyone tries to create the Knott's experience. Los Angeles has more actors looking for work than any other place in the world. KI, Carowinds, CP, etc simply don't have that luxary. Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk

Okay... There are shoot glasses available in Coaster Connections near Banshee, but that's the extent of The Bat merch for now. You might see more spring up as the season progresses. No time table or future product availability is known at this time. Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk

I have a Time Travel Committee meeting coming up last Thursday that I need to prepare for.

Per the news release, the electrical panel involved isn't actually part of the ride. Supposedly the ride itself was down for less than an hour today, so that emergency personnel could access the area. That hardly matters to the general public, though. They will continue to claim it caught fire no matter how many times the actual story is explained, and with each retelling of the story, this alleged fire will get bigger and more destructive. I need to learn to stay away from comment sections on articles. I've seen many people claiming that the ride must surely be unsafe and needs to go. I really wish the General Public would just listen to us enthusiasts. Or park officials. Or reason.

Or he had to use the restroom. As we all know, it can take a very long time to get between X-Base and the nearest restroom.

They credited my friend for the photo.

So I heard one when the train rolled back in from AE. I found this a LOT funnier than I should of... The Ride Op asked "How was your ride?", and a kid yells "turkey!", then ride op said something like "Sounds good!". For some reason I found this really hilarious.

I read this tip and thought of this thread... Take your items of value (wallet, keys, phone) and roll them up in a diaper so that it looks like a soiled diaper ready to be disposed of. I am pretty sure no one would want to swipe what looks like a dirty diaper from the back of a locker, if they were able to access the locker. I feel awful for the original poster. What a terrible violation and inconvenience for you.

You will need to be a card-carrying member of Coaster Crew to participate in this event.

Hitting the brake run on Banshee, girl in row ahead of me: "Wait, that is it?"

"The Bat is such a stupid name for a roller coaster" I almost slapped her right across the face.

Don't worry. You'll doubtless get yet another musical revue to replace it. The best that can be hoped for is that it will be Broadway or punk or indie based, instead of pop, country or a subset thereof. Or, remotely, an ice show. Apparently, to see the best in entertainment, now playing, one must go to a movie or a non-Cedar Fair park. Like SeaWorld's, SFFT or Dollywood. That's sad.