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Congrats to Mike: https://twitter.com/KingsIslandPR/status/491361548615815168/photo/1

This past Saturday my wife and I decided to have my 11-year old niece over for the day to spend some time with her. We weren't sure exactly what we were going to do yet, but we thought we'd play it by ear, and also, see what the weather was going to do (it is Ohio after all). After dinner we ended up at the Disney Store out at Kenwood Towne Center. When they closed at 9, I thought it would be fun to head up 71-N and spend some time at KI for a while since they were open til Midnight. Since the weather was holding out, we decided it would be a nice evening at the park. We arrived about 9:30 and went straight to Banshee for our very first night ride of the season (yeah I know it's a little late into the season, but we've been busy). There were about 3 sections of the main queue filled, but the line was moving at a pretty good pace. We did enjoy the theming in the queue, as in the special lighting and such, but gosh was it blinding when you happened to look up to get blinding by one of those lights. This happened to my wife and me a few times. So after about a half hour, we were taking our seats on Banshee and getting strapped in. I was pretty excited! It was an amazing experience. I love night rides and this one is definitely worth experiencing. One thing I did notice was that I didn't get as dizzy at night as I do during the day. I think this is because it's pretty dark and you can't see much of anything spinning around in front of you. So that made it even better! After Banshee is was on to one of our "Must Do" rides at the park - Adventure Express. This is another fun coaster to do in the dark! We love this ride and I always look forward to at least one ride on this classic coaster. The ride was fun, as always, and the night rides are always great. This time though, I was looking especially careful at the theming in the final tunnel. I couldn't help but notice what poor shape everything is in and it really is a shame. It would be nice to see this ride get a makeover during an off season because it is a great family coaster with so much potential. Next it was on to The Racer! We got in line and noticed that it was longer than usual. After a few minutes of waiting, we noticed that they were only running the red train. We didn't know why, but we figured that was more than likely the cause of the longer line that night. After a few more minutes we noticed that they were running empty blue trains and then eventually they started loading people. This helped the line move quicker. After about 10 minutes we decided to take a seat on the blue train in the very back. Another awesome night ride, but sadly we were defeated by the red train. Yep, it seemed the blue train just wasn't feeling up to it Saturday night. After leaving The Racer, we decided that we would try to catch a night ride on The Beast. We walked over there and noticed that it was quite a long wait. We didn't want to stay past Midnight, so we opted for something with a shorter line. I asked my niece what she'd like to ride out of anything in the park and she chose the Bumper Cars. I was surprised by this answer, but kind of glad she chose this because I hadn't been on Bumper Cars in probably 15-20 years. For whatever reason, I just tend to pass them up for much bigger rides. So we headed back to Coney Mall and took a ride on the Bumper Cars and it was great fun to experience these again. Definitely a classic ride! Once we were done with those, we decided to head towards the exit and head home. It was a fun night in the park and we got to ride several rides and finally got to experience Banshee in the dark. Definitely worth the trip!

Say its not so, hope it gets fixed for sure, but Kings Island needs more flat's for sure, lets hope for Shake Rattle and Roll, and it keeps shaking.

That's being very kind.

By far the best spieler in the park is the creepy lady voice-over on FoF who discusses loose articles.

I had a kid about that age in line for The Beast telling his dad that he remembered when Kings Island used to be Cedar Point but Disney bought it and moved it to Indiana.

I'm not a big Kumba fan to be honest. I'm a Montu guy...

Well that just blew away all my preconcieved notions of Kentuckians! Thanks! GYK, the guy who attempted to nonchalantly blame KK's troubles on psychological (EDIT: and cultural) biases that we all possess. Same guy who made the case that those biases made me imagine Kentucky as a place I'd feel unwelcome. At least now I have a presumed-Kentuckian telling me I'm unwelcome! No imagination needed. Having fun footing the bill for Kentucky Kingdom while Mr. Hart and his "PR" team spend your tax dollars into the ground? Hey-oh!

ahhhh Paramount Kings Island. My childhood. I am part of the Nickelodeon Universe generation. I remember The Beastie, high-fiving SpongeBob, blasting ghosts with Scooby-Doo and the gang, flying with Danny Phantom and splashing (or should I say smashing) with the Wild Thornberry's. It was bliss. (From my first trip to KI, closing day 2004) Hard to believe that was 10 years ago.

So that's what love is like.

If the Avengers can't take the heat, how are they going to defeat Ultron??

Screw it...I'm flying, might as well put the student pilot license to use xD

^ Ride restraints really are not a good thing for ride operators to be joking about.

I would pick which ride you would like to ride most at night and do that one first... just from driving by the parking lots the past few weekends it seemed pretty busy. Also, 500 isn't really a dent when it comes to a 10,000 person crowd, but a 30,000-40,000 person crowd makes for longer lines no matter what event is going on. Also, with the current forecast, I would expect a larger than normal crowd. Congrats on the upcoming wedding and have a great time!

The mere thought of Kumba... BGT...about the only thing that attracts Terp to Florida.

My Mommie Dearest doesn't allow me to have wire coat hangers.

She's told the wrong thing by an employee. She gets mad. She tells Guest Services at KK, they clarify that the employee was wrong. She still takes to FB to try to embarrass the company. KK posts on their FB what the rule is, which was exactly what she wanted. She's still not happy. Ed Hart calls her and apologizes and said he wanted to add more rocking chairs to the nursing areas. She wants to make it clear that she can do whatever she wants when it comes to this so she's seemingly "offended" by this statement. I'd bet you anything that she's the type that never tips at a restaurant because there's always SOMETHING wrong with her meal or service. The manager comes out and apologizes and comps her meal but she still calls the corporate office.

As far as Flying Eagles, I'd rather see those appear on Flight Commander's old pad. The height of the platform would certainly add some thrill to the ride. I want to stay positive about SR&R. It's a fun ride. Hope it's only a matter of time before we find out what's happening.

After reading through the 63 or so log entries, is it certain that the entire log isn't just an ostentatious journal describing The Voyage coaster? At the least, I don't think each day is meant to have a clue hidden inside, but the entries seem to repeat the same sentiment, over and over, dragging on too long, when it should have just put some strong laterals...

Well that was pretty quick. Thing has been bringing in people in droves this season. Nice to see the other park in Ohio get some love once in a while.

Wooden coasters are seemingly a rare thing in Florida. In fact, when I was there a teen behind me in line exclaimed that it was weird and that she had never seen one like it. The only other one that comes to mind right now in Florida is at Legoland.

Gwazi Lion was decent for me, though I rode front seat, which probably nullified most of the roughness. Tiger was closed that day. That said, Gwazi is the only wooden coaster on which I have ever seen a sign at the entrance warning riders that it may be much rougher than the other steel coasters in the park. I wonder what that says about Gwazi, and the park in general.

The other day I was in line for Delirium and heard a guest say to his female companion, "I wonder if this thing goes as high as the Viking Ship?". I think they may have regretted their choice to ride once they got on if they thought it may be smaller than the "Viking Ship".

My wife called from the line to meet the Avengers. She said it extended from the Eiffel Tower or wherever the meet/greet was setup around the Eiffel Tower, back to the smooth stand along the path next to Diamondback's pond. Don't know how quickly its moving, but she gave the impression that its not moving very fast. Said she heard from 1 employee (security guard I think, so the information isn't nearly as reliable as if it had come from Don, reader beware) that the meet/greet was a lot more popular than they were anticipating. She said they were bringing out the Avengers 1 at a time due to the heat. Sounds like they should have had this in the KI Theater or somewhere w/ AC where all 3 (Iron Man, Thor and Captain America) could engage the crowds comfortably all at once. I won't be joining them until later, and even then may do an exchange and take the son on rides while the Wife takes the girl and goes home with her mom, so this is all 2nd hand (at best), but figured there may be some thinking about heading up there this afternoon to meet the Avengers. I'll post later if I get to talk to her again about how long it took her to get thru the line.

If you end up taking 75 up, Kewpees in Lima (the one on Bellfontaine Ave) is a wonderful pit stop to get food. Great burgers. My husband and I periodically do a day trip to Toledo and usually stop at Kewpees on the way up and on the way back.

Check out this ABC22 article about the Grand Carousel: http://m.abc22now.com/news/Historic_Organ_Returns_to_Grand_Carousel_at_Kings_Island?mobileredirect=true

Makes me think of the Matrix.

Be it Mantis or something else, I just wonder if the King James coaster will have a splashdown into a giant pile of chalk dust...

^Now THAT'S funny.. As for FOF, I like it, however cringe a bit with the copyright issues..But still, good stuff.

On Invertigo yesterday as the train was ascending the ride op sang "Annd III will allllwwwaayysss lovvee yooouuuu". He was applauded too xD On FOF before they launched the train the ride op said "And may the odds be ever in your favor". And "Pikachu GO!" on another.

I have a co-worker who, whenever we have a business luncheon, finds something wrong with her meal and gets it free every time. Its totally disgusting since everyone at the table gets a perfect meal and service except for her. There are plenty of people like that for sure! As far as KK goes, I'm sure that the majority of these complaints are bandwagon complaints with folks pushing the boundaries to get into the news without regard to the ramifications of their actions on the park. The park is in effect, becoming a scapegoat in many of these instances.

Times have changed, especially the consumer. Yet Ed Hart has not. The New Kentucky Kingdom was falling down before they ever got to the start line. Who builds a new Drop Tower ride, with the history of having one of the most tragic industry accidents happen within the park on a similar ride? Who does that? Ed Hart and the New Kentucky Kingdom. Who staffs an inept PR department that is unable to resolve a simple misunderstanding in the media with one post? Ed Hart does. Seriously, 1 post to social media that management agrees upon and locking the comments on Facebook would have resolved this issue. Instead details are missed and it only feeds the storm that is brewing. We have covered the continuous missteps of the New Kentucky Kingdom in this thread, but I think the best way to some of The New Kentucky Kingdom is they do not pay attention to the details of the business or operations. Ignoring the details will provide a few years of success, but eventually patrons will stop going because the details are missed. How many times will you go to McDonalds if they constantly give you the wrong drink? After awhile you will travel a bit further to a different McDonalds who focuses on the details. This my friends is how you get from "just ok" to "great"! The New Kentucky Kingdom is "just ok" it is not great and "just ok" will not survive this economy.

There is one, but the only time I've ever encountered it unlocked (and open in that case) was at the beginning of 9:00-9:30 ERT at the Coaster Crew Banshee Bash. That was only because they hadn't opened the shop yet. I am hoping they start unlocking it as a bypass if the store does start getting too clogged due to on-ride videos.

Lora, I noticed something in the above picture of WindSeeker at Kings Dominion. It truly is an epidemic that must be stopped...Americana Gondola. Inside joke for those who weren't with us that weekend. The entire group was roaring with laughter in the hotel room. Sounds like a disease.

Im also a Montu fan, but Kumba is a GREAT ride. It's one of the better B&Ms out there. Cheetah Hunt is also a pretty good ride. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Or it would probably mean a beefier structure and/or heavier duty/bigger bearings and/or bigger shafts and bigger motors, which in turn leads to higher initial cost for the park and possibly more sensors (I'd imagine you would want more redundancy as the ride size increases) that could act up and lead to downtime. Or downtown, which, coincidentally enough, is what my phone tried to correct "downtime" to.

On Diamondback yesterday- "Enjoy your ride on the 2nd best coaster at Kings Island, the best of course being Adventure Express"

You do have a point. I'm just going to throw mine. Whatta they gonna do? Flag me? edited to add on July 23: Looks like they have a lot of net and astroturf for the area where you kick it into the fountain, from a picture on FB; They are ready for clumsy sportsmen.

I'm with you here.....I don't like parking lots in general because most people don't pay attention or try to get out first. Add those on top of poorly designed lots and you have yourself one or two things (1) Headache or (2) wreck. At KI the most I've dealt with in the parking lot, is people taking up two spots or cutting me off to get into the big line exiting the lot. I like them, but then I saw this and they now make me laugh when I see them. From: http://i.imgur.com/bbLpCuN.jpg

Having worked in a customer service position for years now, I've come to learn that people in general don't read signs these days, then come up with any excuse they can when they're inconvenienced by their failure to read - my favorite being "I'm not from here" or "I've never been here before". Who goes to an unfamiliar place without reading informational signs? Reminds me of a customer tonight....she came up to the service desk and said she was really frustrated because she called into the store and talked with someone in electronics who said we only had one of the toys she was looking for, so she got out of her PJs to run to the store to find that there were 11......she said she's frustrated because she was lied to and wanted a discount. Which made me chuckle.....but, why call in your PJs if you know there is a possibility that there may be a limited number of items you want? So I guess my "darnest thing said" is "well can I get a discount for being lied to and having to get dressed to come to the store?" haha. I also love the, hey there's a sign here but I can't read it because it's my first time here excuses. Side note....we need a people say the darnest things outside of the park thread.

The Cyclone gave its final rides earlier this evening.....

Ah, yes. I remember watching the POV's on the old PKI website... good times!

Not to mention it has a VERY poorly designed, poorly lit, and poorly marked south exit.

Are you on mobile? Like all Cedar Fair parks, the KI mobile site is rather sad. And not very functional. FLASH! Desktops are fading away........

Arrow is a registered trademark used by its successor in interest. As such, it is always capitalized here. (Imagine an Arrow dive coaster. That, my friends, would be something!)

As I was driving down one of the parking aisles yesterday there was a car stopped at the end of the aisle. I am assuming that the car is going to turn but as I was approaching behind the car, suddenly the car backs up and is proceeding to back into a parking place-there was another car behind me and we both had to back up because of the thoughtless driver in the front car.

Is be willing to bet that it's not forever.

Mantis had a good layout but those B&M stand ups are too forceful in my opinion. They make my legs hurt as I'm trying to counter the physical forces. I'd take a sit down of any type over that.

I dislike all idiots equally in spite of race, color, religion, geographical location, etc........

Dive machines are OK if you're visiting a park you don't get to very often. I've only ridden Sheikra, and it was twice in the same day. If you get an opportunity to ride do not miss it because they are indeed very different. It was neat and the front row on either extremity of the car is ok for forces and floating out over nothingness. It was very very smooth, which is likely a testament to the BGT maintenance schedule and crew, but the ride is very short in comparison to other coasters. They lose momentum very quickly because the cars are so heavy and wide, which limits their element and inversion potential. That isn't to say it's necessarily a bad ride or ride type though. It's my wife's favorite coaster in fact! They EAT people, the lines move quickly, and they offer a different ride experience so they are a sound investment for amusement and theme parks and general admission guests. For the enthusiast who loves coasters, elements, and the speculation of what could be or could have been they are somewhat of a let down though.