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Hey guys, I just made a Banshee clock!! Made it out of an old clock found at the thrift store. More pictures coming soon!! Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

"...King's Island..." How nice of the King family.

How in the world does Cedar Point, the park most of the GP worships and adores, make the list, let alone some of CF's top performing parks?

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

Neat, I want one. Phil, who's taking care of his mom, and now intently eyeballing her nice granfather clock.

Very cool!

Phantom Theater. And the trees Diamondback took away :b

I can see the argument for Kings Dominion because of the market its in. Most people would probably gravitate towards Busch Gardens over Kings Dominion.

Very nice!!

Do you think the jokes are unbearable? (electricsun who can't help but giggle at almost all puns and play on words)

Meanwhile, do they do ANYTHING at ticket sales or the gate to collect residence information on others?

** I meant to post this the day after I got back, but things happened and I went camping, sorry!"** What great day to have picked to go to Kings Island! We went Tuesday May 26th of 2015. My boyfriend, our two friends, and I were a little nervous as it should a higher chance of rain that day and the days leading up to the trip the hourly reports were all over the place. We made it safely after a nearly three hour drive and our season pass processing was a breeze! It pretty much scan, scan, picture, and sign! It was great! Upon entering the park my boyfriend promptly decided to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower, it something he likes to do on ever trip. After being at the and making our way around check out the 360 view, I turned around to ask my boyfriend what we should do next and the it happened. He was standing there a little red velvet box in hand and out two best friends camera phones in hand. Before I knew it he was down on one knee asking me to marry him. Yes, I said yes! So, I got engaged at Kings Island and it couldn't have been better. After hug, kisses, and pictures, we happily skipped to The Beast, our tradition of our to ride if first on every visit! We had no wait! We walked right on to the second and third seat of the Beast and it was a great run! (As Always!!) We followed The Beast with Diamondback, Vortex, Firehawk, and Flight of Fear. We did all five coasters in the first hour of the park being open. Then we conquered the Racer and Adventure Express! After these two favorites we decided to grab some fries at Feasthaus, it was not quite lunch time but we were feeling snacky! After fries, we crushed thought Action Zone, riding Delirium twice without getting off! Drop Zone was closed for they day so we didn't get to ride that (Which was fine I'm not a fan). My high point of the day (besides the engagement) was after buying our locker to put our bags on we entered the wait line for Banshee and we walked the line, and then we WALKED ON THE FRONT CAR! No wait for the very front seat of Banshee. It was AMAZING!!!! This was actually my first time riding Banshee, as I didn't make it to the park. It was so smooth and fast and the inversions were really great!!! The mid line roll really took me by surprise! After riding Banshee a few more times in various spots as we had our pick of the litter we decided to eat at the Reds Hall of Fame Grill. For a sit down restaurant inside of a park, I personally think that RHoFG is very well priced! My boyfriend and I shared the appetizer combo and both got water to drink, our bill was about $14. That is about what we would pay out our local sit down restaurants (when we share food like this.). It is quickly becoming one of our favorite places to eat in the park. While we were eating the first rain shower hit, and lasted only from about the time we go our drink to the point which she brought our checks. After lunch we continued to get Snoopy Ice Cream and ride the train, another tradition. After the train, We did another run on The Beast and then Diamondback and after Diamond back we decided to hit Backlot Stunt Coaster and while on BSC we saw the darkness. These big dark -almost black- clouds came rolling in, we high tailed back towards diamond back, because I left our refill cup at the gift shop register. We hopped up on the empty counter space and took a seat to decide if we wanted to leave or not, and in the middle of this discussion the rain came. Heavy, heavy rain with big fat drop, and at one point, it did that thing where its so thick an heavy it looks white. So that cemented us staying for the time being. We sat there about 45 minutes and the rain stop, the black clouds had moved on, the sun didn't come out but the could we a much less mincing shade of grey. After the rain storm and the boys digging in to their share of a turkey leg, we went back to Diamondback and then Firehawk, and on Firehawk as we were all on our back pulling out of the station with no turning back, it started to rain again. This time small drops and just raining enough that you know it. It was an annoying and a funny experience. So after getting off the ride we hung out in what use to be the Flight of Fear photo station. Flight of Fear was shut down, and they were very vague as to what was wrong but that was no big deal. After another shower lasting about 15 minutes, we took of into the sprinkling mist and just walked around and by this point it was about 6:30 and we decided to take off towards Feasthaus to get some La Rosas before we left. Feasthaus, was closed though there was a park person out front the doors apologizing to people say they had to close early. So we just took off the International Street La Rosa. This was the longest line we had to wait in all day. It took about 20 minutes to wait in line and get our whole pizza and breadsticks, since they made our pizza fresh for us. It had stopped raining so we wiped down a picnic table and enjoyed our pizza! This was the end of our day, and we only left the park about five minutes before actual closing time. It was a great day, and one that I will never forget! I really enjoyed not waiting very long for rides and being able to just take it very slow and go at an easy and relaxed pace. I was ecstatic to be in the park but it was nice to just be able to slow down and take it all in! Another great day at Kings Island, and a memorable addition to my Trip books

Buzzfeed is a pathetic excuse for a media outlet/news source. Their articles tend to be either filled with errors, misinformation, or both - with an apparent lack of research done for their articles (unfortunately that seems to be more and more widespread throughout all news media nowadays). This article was no exception. Apparently I still haven't ridden all of King's Island's 23 roller coasters! Who knew! And Cedar Point underrated? Give me a break. Nice to see the parks mentioned though I guess.

That's a nice thing for that price. Can't go wrong getting all artsy on something like that for six bones. Nice work.

This happened twice while I was riding Racer and once on The Beast. Neither time could you hear what the heck the person was saying as it did not interrupt the regular programming just spoke over it. I kind of figured it out but some people might have had no idea what the announcement was.

From my understanding, there are two reasons: One, it makes the front heavier than the back so that in a case where the train barely reaches the top, the center of gravity will be further forward, making it more likely to fall forward as less of the train needs to be past the peak. Two, I believe they need to warm up the launch system gradually by slowly increasing the weight of the train. As I understand it, going directly from test trains with a single employee to full trains with 18 people could break the system. If I'm wrong here, I invite corrections from those who know otherwise.

...or Dorney Park. People who live in the area tend to underrate Kings Dominion.

No I do not, they don't bother me, I do enjoy the most prestigious wooden fence in all of Mason, OH though!

I'm someone who couldn't and wouldn't ride Mantis. It just physically hurt too much between the standing and the head banging. I rode it very few times the last few years, mostly as a "if I try the tricks people mention, maybe it won't hurt?" Haha. Nope. I rode Rougarou twice on Friday night and really enjoyed both rides. The first ride was 1st row as I became a group's 4th and the second ride was 7th row solo. I was worried how the restraints would feel and was preparing myself for lots of head banging. That really wasn't the case for me until a few sections near the end. That alone was an improvement! It's just a more comfortable ride which allows me to focus on the elements and experience instead of "ugh, please let this be over soon!". I enjoy the change and the ride has turned from something I avoided to something I will likely ride every visit. Just an FYI, they do stop Rougarou for Luminosity's fireworks. I was on the last train before that and it was around 9:45p. There was an annoucement in the station as they were checking restraints. They will let you get in line and will start the ride back up after the fireworks.

Love it! Very well done.

or something more?

You sure pulled this one out of your a...ssorted old replies. Is this an anniversary of sorts?

...Nor what was to happen to Newsweek. It was time.

You don't even have to be a kid. I'm a full-grown adult and I could very easily get out of the restraints on any Arrow Looper if I so chose. It really isn't difficult, especially on older coasters. You have a point. I did backtrack out of the line with my niece with Phantom Theatre. But I knew her well enough to know her personal fear point. I do get jittery and a little stomach jumpy on a big coaster, that's why I ride them, like browntggr said, it's adrenaline. I was one to jump on rides as a kid, as soon as I was able. I loved Haunted rides and Funhouses. My sister could be skittish. I think what my father did was wise in our case, to encourage my sister to confront her fears. Sibling competition, I guess. I don't think it would have been a very good memory for my sister to recall me riding The Whip with my dad, as she sat on a bench watching. He was just sharing what he loved. I can't fault him.

As someone who spent the first 18 years of his life absolutely mortified of pretty much any thrill ride, I can relate to kids who don't want to ride and it really hurts me to see parents trying to make them ride. The only thing that's going to do is traumatize them and greatly reduce the chance that they will enjoy the ride later in life. Case in point, when I was younger, I went to Disney World with my family, who all decided to ride Tower of Terror. I didn't want to, but none of them were willing to sit out the ride and I didn't want to sit by myself and wait for them to ride, so I got on. Was I forced? No, not really, but I did have to choose between two undesirable options. Anyway, the point is, anyone who knows my ride preferences knows that I'll do anything except droppy rides. And I have a sneaking suspicion that that experience is a big part of that. My next attempt at a droppy ride was in 2011, when my (now ex) girlfriend strongly urged me to ride Drop Tower. I told her over and over that I didn't want to, but she insisted. And not wanting to appear a coward, I rode it. Upon seeing my reaction, she apologized profusely for making me ride that infernal machine. I don't take well to those rides. I am getting better. I can handle small ones like you'd find at Hartland or Carowinds, and I'll ride S&S Space Shots all day (but you could not pay me to get on a Turbo Drop). But the point is, I was "forced" to ride a ride I didn't want to ride when I was young, and now I can't stand anything the slightest bit similar. Maybe they're unrelated, but since I can handle Dragster with no problems, I'd be willing to bet that my reluctance with droppy rides is a direct result of that incident at Disney. Side note: You don't even have to be a kid. I'm a full-grown adult and I could very easily get out of the restraints on any Arrow Looper if I so chose. It really isn't difficult, especially on older coasters.

Its tough because as a parent you dont want your child to hurt, but you also want to instil a sense of pride and accomplishment. When things get tough or scary in the real world, you cant just quit. You cant just walk away. So you want to help push your kid to conquer the little easily conquered activities to instill this mindset for when they are older.... In parenting and rearing of children, there has been a shift of focus. From creating good citizens to creating individuals. We tell kids to follow their hearts and get a career doing what they want.... Its tough man.... As for what I will do, when I feel he is ready, I will help little shark transition to bigger coaster rides. There may be some forcing. I will also force him to do his homework every night and do well in school, scouts, sports, and anything else he does. I will teach him that finding a job he enjoys is important, but more importantly is to find a job that allows him the ability to afford to raise a family and to pursue activities that he wants...

Well, I just found this interesting article by Buzzfeed where they list the parks their userbase voted "Most Underrated". Here is the article... http://www.buzzfeed.com/laurenpaul/the-most-underrated-amusement-parks-in-the-world#.bizm8lMxP Uhh...yeah, some of these parks most would not be considered "underrated". I think the voters may not have even known what that's supposed to mean...these aren't all small, under-the-radar parks... This feels like it would have been worthy for the "I can't make this crap up" thread but I figured ehh...I'll make a new thread just for this. Comments more than welcome.

It's covered under Gold and Platinum. Not a regular season pass.1) You missed a page. 2) Steph88 was referring to the post above hers, regarding Cedar Point passes, where Gold does not exist. Mobile goin' be the death of all of us.

It's covered under Gold and Platinum. Not a regular season pass. 1) You missed a page. 2) Steph88 was referring to the post above hers, regarding Cedar Point passes, where Gold does not exist.

I don't really like riding roller coasters at all (hence why I am ok with all those listed coasters staying in the graves) and miss the shade. Give me a good, tame flat and I am ok (as in no swinging or spinning) Edit: looking at the list again...Zodiac. I think I probably would have liked that one. I got a Zodiac question...isn't the years on the poll wrong? Cause I am pretty sure you can clearly see Zodiac in The Bat pov that is/was on Youtube and The Bat was the early 80s. I don't remember when Zodiac was transferred to Australia though.

Am I the only one who thinks they are missing out on a huge market. Halloween? Plus they are barely open four months of the year. KI opens in April through October, cash flow!

I think it would be fun to move Dinosaurs Alive to the train ride. Not sure if it is logistically possible, but it would at least give an extra layer of entertainment to the ride that's missing other than the one liner jokes from the ride ops.

Malem, I will agree that row 4....sucks! Rows 1 and 8 are both good, with 1 being the best by a good margin. I hope those who have not ridden a floorless prior to Rougarou do not judge all by this ride experience, Dominator smokes it by leaps and bounds! Its absolutely fantastic!!!

I finally rode the front seat at CoasterMania on Friday, and I have to eat my words a bit. In the front, Rougarou is an improvement over Mantis in just about every possible way. It's a more thrilling ride (after the first loop), and it's a more comfortable experience - able to be enjoyed by people who couldn't tolerate Mantis. My only complaint is that the first drop "feels" shorter in the new rider position, but that's a relatively small price to pay. For what it's worth, on my previous visit, I rode in rows 4-6. I still need to try other parts of the train; I'm curious whether I'll enjoy rides in rows 2 and 8.

I got a banner on The Lexington Herald-Leader website (kentucky.com) that states that the $59.95 Kroger sale on season tickets ends Monday 6-8-15.

That terrifies me with my youngest niece and nephew. This is the main reason that their first ride (or two) on the bigger flats and roller coasters has to be with me, not their big brother. I know that if they start to show signs of being scared or freaking out, I can distract them enough to get them through it. Also, it lets me make sure they know how to ride it properly - such as keeping hands and arms inside the car and not hanging off the side.

ethancoaster: First, one word responses are strictly forbidden in the Terms of Service, with some limited exceptions...none of which apply here. The same is true of cell phone shorthand. Second, what's so funny? Thunder Road's removal? Limited finances and having to make choices? Do tell us. This is WHY one word responses are not generally allowed here. They typically do not help and can confuse.

In the comments, jimbo's review is killing me. It seems like the Land of Dour, according to his description

I am terrified of swinging ships because of an incident on one as a child. I totally understand irrational childhood ride fears. I somehow got talked into riding Mayflower at Holiday World last weekend. It was the first swinging ship I'd ridden in about 5 years. We sat in the middle row and I was legitimately in tears by the end of the ride cycle and had marks in my hands from grabbing the bar so hard. We got off and immediately rode Voyage twice, because irrational phobias make no sense.

None of the parks I have ever worked at will allow a child to ride when they are crying/screaming and obviously want off. It's been the policy at all of them that we had to get a confirmation from the child that they wanted to ride. The parent insisting that they're riding just ****ed most of us off. I've removed many a child from a ride that was screaming to be let off after a parent shoved their restraints down on them. And if the parents were jerks, I made them get off with the kid too. If they were understanding and didn't make an issue of the child wanting off, I'd let the kid wait at the exit while the parent rode, but if they were jerks and screaming at the kid to shut up because they were making a scene/had waited in line/some other excuse, I was like "sorry, they can't wait by themselves if they're under 14." Most of my coworkers had the same response. One of the earliest replies outlined exactly why: You don't want a kid suddenly freaking out and trying to bail mid-lift or trying to escape their restraints (which, honestly, can be done with enough determination on many rides). Or if the ride stops and has to be evacuated, can you imagine trying to safely unload a kid that is already so scared they are screaming when the ride hasn't started yet? It can create incredibly dangerous situations. Unloading a train that has stopped on a lift or brake run can be dangerous enough as it is, you don't want to add in an extra complication of a kid that has become so frightened that they are completely unreasonable and have essentially shut down. Funny side story: I had a kid board Mystery Mine one time screaming and crying. He was not much over the height requirement, so he was maybe 7 years old? I asked if he was ok and if he wanted to ride and he nodded his head. I looked at his mom who had this mortified look on her face and said "he's crying because his brother just hit him." I couldn't not laugh.

So far on Fun TV I've seen: The Beast, Banshee, Millennium Force, Gatekeeper (saw it in line for Gatekeeper! lol), Intimidator 305, Rebel Yell, Fury 325, Carolina Cobra, Xcelerator, Mamba, Steel Force and Gold Striker. I think I see Banshee the most frequently.

It's interesting looking back at stories that shaped public opinion during that critical election year. I would never have imagined 'meal plans,' much less 'free wi-fi' seven years ago. I guess when the going gets tough, the tough... innovate.

You can. It is.

Now I have always wanted to ride SOB with the loop and without the loop. I wish I could've gone back 10 years ago to 2005 and tell my 5 and a half year old self, that ride is not going to be the same in a year, ride it! I was tall enough to ride it, but I never did because my dad said "Son this ride is way too intense for you." BUT the one I voted for was the Rotor. My dad always told me stories about the cycle with the rotor was eat some pretzels and if you were over 18(I think that was the drinking age back then) drink beer, get on the ride, throw up and repeat. My dad said Octoberfest used to have all of those rides that made you puke and that it was not the nicest place to be in. It would've been nice to experience that.

Just wanted to share... Took the day off yesterday and took my kiddo to KI and she finally just barely hit the 54 inch mark! After putting on the coveted orange bracelet and lots of high fives and victory dancing all around, we practically ran all the way to Diamondback. Once we got there though she just about had herself talked into being scared of it and kept trying to talk me in leaving the line because she was too hungry to ride / she had to pee / her stomach was hurting and she might have to go home / etc. but we finally made it on and by the time we hit the bottom of the first hill she was holding her arms in the air like a pro screaming about how awesome it was. I had been holding off riding the 54 inch coasters (except Diamondback) for the past two summers waiting for her to be tall enough, so we had a really fun day only riding rides we had never ridden before She liked Diamondback, Invertigo, and FoF but she thought Firehawk was not very exciting. I remembered hating FoF the last time I rode it in like the late 90's but I really like it now... the different harnesses made a world of difference! All in all good day!

But if the contraption was allowed to operate in maintenance mode with public aboard, is that not operator error?

This is going to rival or exceed the Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom accident when the young girl lost her leg. I fear from the news reports and design of the trains that multiple passengers will have lost appendages. A very tragic event and I pray for all of those involved. The continued thought I have reading the reports of the issues from the day is that the ride had been serviced numerous times and it was either left accidentally or intentionally in maintenance mode. I hope this is not the case, for the employees involved. Lastly, the Smiler will more than likely not operate again.

I love to look back and see yourself like that... It's so fun Yeah look back at other people... ... other personalities.... ...aliases... ...split personalities... ...people in disguise...

The waterpark addition saved the train. I recall riding the train as it existed just prior to the waterpark addition... it was not the "stellar" attraction that fond memories recall. Less than half the displays worked, and they were more ragged looking than you can imagine. It was a fun and unique attraction in it's earlier years, but memories make it more interesting. Also, if I am not mistaken, the train is actually maintained/operated by an outside source... not KI itself. Seems the maintenance and conducting fell under different transportation rules/regulations than normal amusement attractions. Not to say that they cannot theme it in anyway they seem fit, rather I just don't think it's a priority to them. If you think CF is going to go the distance in re-establishing or maintaining nostalgic themed attractions, think again. Pirate Ride, Paddlewheel Excursions, Kingdom of the Dinosaurs, Earthquake ride, Journey to the Center of the Earth are all examples. The Racer change has little to do with bringing back nostalgia, and everything to do with insurance. The nostalgia aspect is a PR spin. Shaggy

I would like to see the train go back to the old way. I rode it for the first time since BB got there ands when i rode it yeah i saw the Indian Village but big woopty doo. Cedar Point's Train takes you through boneville all while transporting you to the OTHER SIDE OF THE PARK not to the water park. I do not believe that Kings Island is large enough to have a train be the form of two way transport. Bring back the skyride!!!