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Visited KI 7/1 for a couple hours in the evening. The crew at 9pm was on point. Load side collecting loose articles between trains from riders in line while unload placed loose articles on top of the bins for disembarking riders. Controls consistently announcing when the lift was clear for dispatch to the crew on the floor. Hustling the whole time, paying attention, and smiling. Great job guys. No stacking what-so-ever. Keep it up. Guests do notice when you're doing an amazing job.

Why would I share my thoughts on Fury 325 in the KK thread?

Well, I just wasted a few hours watching the web cams and have been timing most of the rides I could pick outs dispatches to try and estimate each ride's capacity. Some of the results kinda shocked me- I also timed all these rides at least 3 times to try get a "decent" sample size. My formula: #1-Take 3600 seconds, aka how many seconds per hour. #2-Divide by dispatch time in seconds to get # of dispatches per hour. #3-Multiply by riders per train. Here are my results based on what I saw on the webcams: Banshee-CAM RIDES (Action Zone & Oktoberfest) Banshee 1st: 90 seconds (1280pph) 2nd: 70 seconds (1646pph) 3rd: 60 seconds (1920pph) 4th: 135 seconds (853pph) OK I did Banshee 4 times for the heck of it. And wow- what awesome capacity. I thought #2 was amazing and then I got a 60-second dispatch which I assume was about as good as it gets (Train #1 was close to top of lift as #3 hit brakes). Of course, Banshee proved she is a mortal coaster- #4 was unsually long for this ride. I assume it must have been a walk-of-shame or something...but Holy Cow, if Banshee could do #3 all the time that would be 1900pph...crazy... The Bat 1st: 135 seconds (747pph) 2nd: 110 seconds (916pph) 3rd: 140 seconds (720pph) Ehh, compared to Banshee, poor Bat's capacity seems to be crud. Though I do think the crew could have gotten the ride out quicker- I saw Train #1 hit the brakes, then Train #2 took at least 20-30 more seconds to get on the lift it seemed on nearly ALL of these. 1000pph could be possible on a good day. Adventure Express 1st: 120 seconds (900pph) 2nd: 110 seconds (982pph) 3rd: 180 seconds (600pph) AE ended up doing a little better than Bat, but then #3 came up- I have to guess someone had some issue or something for it to take an extra minute to get out the door. With #2 hitting 982pph, I really think 1000pph+ is easily possible on AE, even with 2 trains (vs. the 3 it opened with). Delirium 1st: 330 seconds (545pph) 2nd: 300 seconds (600pph) 3rd: 335 seconds (537pph) Ugh. This was painful to test because it took 5 minutes between dispatches every time- which included the one-minute ride cycle because flats cannot run more than 1 train unlike roller coasters. Having 50 riders go at once negated it somewhat (nearly all coasters are 36 or less), but Delirium still falls several hundred riders short of the coasters tested above. Probably decent for a flat ride though. I didn't compare any of the smaller, lower-capacity flats...yet...hmm, perhaps I need to test Shake, Rattle, & Roll which I can see on the next webcam...I also didn't check Sling Shot or Xtreme Skyflyer as I figured they would be FAR worse, and are probably pay-per-rides for a reason. And that was it for Banshee-cam rides...on the other webcam... Diamondback CAM RIDES Diamondback (DiamondStacks Labeled as such! ) #1: 120 seconds (960pph) "Diamondstack" #2: 75 seconds (1536pph) #3: 110 seconds (1047pph) Well, I got a Stack, a great dispatch, and a near-stack (At 110 seconds, Train #3 is JUST getting on the lifthill). Even the stack was still nearly 1000pph though. So still better than most of the previously tested coasters and Delirium...minus Banshee of course. Now, when you get more dispatches like #2... The Beast #1: 110 seconds (1178pph) #2: 130 seconds (997pph) #3: 160 seconds (810pph) Well, for Beast, the first dispatch I caught (these were a bit tricky as the train was a bit hard to spot on the webcam due to the ride's location) was the best and was very close to the ride's claimed 1200pph. But then it got worse and worse...well sorta, even #3 at 810pph isn't THAT horrible. I guess those huge 36-passenger trains really pay off for capacity. Oh, and I did the math- with one train, and a 5 minute 30 second dispatch estimation, my guess is my 1-train wait in 2011 ran at around 393pph...OUCH. Vortex #1: 120 seconds (840pph) #2: 120 seconds (840pph) #3: 100 seconds (1,008pph) Wow, I was honestly expecting Vortex to do better than this given how it is always a 20-minute wait or so even when crowded. The crew did look a bit slow though- train #2 was just starting to climb the hill as #3 was in the station and #1 was hitting the main brakes on #1 and #2. On a better day, I could see Vortex getting down to 90 seconds between dispatches and using the MCBR- it would then pull around 1,120pph. So I guess perhaps I may have been wrong and it doesn't have B&M-like capacity...the short line really just is short...or the crew is just slow and the ride should be pulling 60-70 second dispatches and getting around 1440-1680pph. Backlot Stunt Coaster #1: 65 seconds (665pph) #2: 65 seconds (665pph) #3: 65 seconds (665pph) Wow. What consistency by the BLSC crew. And getting even 3-car trains out so fast is impressive. Though said small trains keep capacity still a bit low at 665pph...it probably still beats Firehawk though. (My estimate for that is a measly 480pph but it could be around 720 on a good day as well...) Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown #1: 20 seconds (720pph) #2: 15 seconds (960pph) #3: 26 seconds (554pph) WUT...LOG FLUME HAS BETTER CAPACITY AT TIMES THAN SOME COASTERS!?!? Even with only 4 riders max per log, the fact they are leaving in 15-20 seconds makes this a high capacity ride by my estimates. Wow...guess if the line looks long for this, it may really not be that bad. I'd assume White Water Canyon may be even better, since it's dispatch times seem similar and it can hold 8 riders per boat...wait, 1600pph possible for WWC!?!? Talk about a mind-blow... And those are all the rides I checked...I may do more of this in the future, which will probably mainly include a Shake Rattle & Roll test to compare with Delirium. Anyhow, thanks for reading my crazy numbers mumbo jumbo.

There's one at Kennywood, if that's any closer for you.

See Camden Park, Huntington, West Virginia. Also Kennywood, West Miflin, Pennsylvania.

After riding Dorney Park's Whip, I want one much much closer. The little kids shouldn't be the only ones enjoying that experience!

The webcams on the Kings Island website are no longer just minute-to-minute still images. There's live streaming video as well. As a long-time stalker of the webcams, this is a very exciting upgrade. :-)

I haven't waited longer than 15 minutes for any ride in the park so far today.

Sigh. International Power Hours. One hopes safety is still Paramount.

Are you Dave Althoff, Jr.'s aka Rideman's nephew? He'd be SO proud!

Look what I just found

The other rider's head. Terp, who has had that happen on Flight of Fear...twice! Oucharooney!

And that dang Hannah Montana music on repeat

Does anyone currently manufacture the "Tumblebug" type ride? If so, I'd be all for that...simple yet fun. Or heck why not another Keel Boat type ride. Chance Rides seems to have a few interesting flat rides that I wouldn't mind seeing at our park too.

Take it for what it's worth but the comments on Facebook have been positive. Folks are saying the ride has been improved.

Well, since they will not let me in, I'd at least like to know what I'm missing...

Terp just HAD to, didn't he?

I followed them and snuck a picture from behind then sought out security to voice my displeasure. The guy said he would put out word to the other officers and look for them. Who knows if this is actually being done though. A phone to the head at 80 mph is potentially fatal.

I knew it would only be a matter of time before somebody did this. The only surprise is that it happened so quickly, in less than 24 hours.

Well then. I certainly don't expect head-banging to be an issue, because there's nothing to bang your head on!

Lighter than expected crowds. Most rides have waited 10 minutes or less. Waiting in line more for food than thrill rides. Hoping the 4pm crowd just decides to stay home. But while waiting in line for my meal saw this interesting picture at CW Fansite. Interesting competition.

Yes, usually you won't get any comment about riding alone from employees.. I've had it happen once last year at Drop Tower however he was attempting to be friendly, I think. The same day was the only rider on several coasters with no such comments.

Agreed. They've done a splendid job this year.

I'm going to give Kings Island a Shout Out for allowing our military personnel into the park for free this weekend. I am not military, but I certainly support those who are.

A trip to ride Whips...hmmm... I may have to time my drive through WV next time to allow me to stop at Camden Park. Thanks TombRaiderFTW and The Interpreter!

^ I did last weekend, as a matter of fact.There are, figuratively speaking, a handful of red track pieces out front. That's the only color track there--unless you count the unpainted pieces, in which case, there are rust-colored pieces there, too.

I'm surprised at how chiper and happy the crew at Planet Snooy can stay even after working with a countless number of impatient kids and unruly parents.

It also works as it actually works, unlike the Mason one, which only sorta works when it even does.

Shout out to all of the ride ops at Kings Island. All the workers I have seen at my few times at the park looked happy and motivated. Special shout out to Flight of Fear ride ops. Never have I seen so much enthusiasm in a ride crew. I love the taunting of riders before the launch. I'll never forget the time they said "Falcon.....Punch!" Right at our launch.

Was The Bat not enough? I think an old ride coming back is the least likely scenario. Unless there's a new model that they're willing to take a risk on, like the new HUSS Enterprise.

Good idea for the shout out. Make sure you do it also at the Guest Services office near the entrance. Our family has had passes for more than half of my life (I'll skip the age), in our time we've seen more than our share of 'disaffected' employees. So, we've tried to make it a point to give a proper "shout out" to the exceptional when we observe it and leave a comment with Guest Services. I don't know that it gets back to the employee- but I'm sure they would appreciate the call out from guests.

Great weather and short lines! I just got back to the states yesterday and had to head to the park. Loving this!

When the park expands X base, I would encourage them to build a restroom building as well! As it is, the nearest ones are at either end of Coney. Yes.. its a lot nicer how CP seems to have more restrooms than you could think to use. "Oh I need to go, I know we just passed one around the bend there-- oh, there's one here too!" --- And I'm all for the whole TLC year.. but do it right. I would love if Kings Island became one of the cleanest parks, in terms of aesthetics. Some bigger parks, I see videos of them and it's dumbfounding how clean cut everything looks. Kings Island is pretty good even still, but I'm all for for even better!

The restraints remind me a lot of B&M's. Source

Probably won't happen but I'm still holding out hope for a dragster. That would really help to complete the park.

Thanks. You made my day. When Terp was a youngun, Laff In The Dark from Tracey abounded. And then, Haunted House at Camden Park debuted. Terp spent the Seventies as a secondary, university, graduate and beyond student.

So it's not in the way ... ... Until someone decides that it is.

I think both (as in they have more than one, novel for a regional park) of Lagoon's non-interactive dark rides are much more enjoyable than Boo Blasters. Have some decent scares in 'em too. And the newest of them was built in the 70's. When Terp was a young'n and the goats still grazed under the Roller Coaster.

That's honestly amazing! As long as they have fun while keeping to the agenda and safety protocols, I'm all for it. I honestly love FoF's Ride Ops. I love how they scare new riders with the whole empty train thing. My last 2 times for FoF, the ride host? would ask if we wanted a countdown. Course most would say yes, and so the first time she said "OK, in" *launch* The next time she counted down from 10, got to zero. "Aw crap, I think it broke" Three seconds later *launch* Some of the most enthusiastic ride ops come from ones where they have control over the launch (FoF, Wicked Twister)

I do not understand how rides aren't built with more options for speedy evacuations. First, ride manufacturers MUST understand that rides WILL emergency-stop for any number of reasons. A bird lands on a sensor, it trips, and the ride shuts down. It's not an infrequent or rare occurrence. Fine! So why isn't there a way to quickly and safely restore the ride's operation, or at LEAST default it into an unload / evac program? (I'm not talking JUST about the Orlando Eye, either. Think WindSeeker. Why is the ride's default protocol in MOST situations to seize up, lock operators out of the controls, and strand riders? Should there not be a leveled response to stops? An ability to quickly analyze the issue and get the ride into a controlled evacuation mode?) And secondly, in that same vein, what if this actually WERE an emergency? What if a storm was approaching so the ride E-stopped? Or a fire? Or an electrical hazard? This again begs the question: why is the attraction's computer's FIRST response to lock everything and seize the ride, stranding riders? It's downright dangerous. A fire in one of the cabins at the top of the ride, so the computer shuts the attraction down and locks operators out for three hours. HUH? How is there no quick way to regain control? Basically, I'm no engineer. I just don't see why the computer systems powering these rides aren't able to logically progress through this in seconds. Ride e-stops. Analyze the reason. If the ride can safely operate (i.e. the e-stop wasn't triggered by a structural issue) then default into an evac mode.

...or Carolina Beaches...

I've done some reading on this. I'll reread and cite my references and if I'm wrong (which happens), I'll own up to it. But for now I'm off to bed. 2 12 hour shifts are ahead of me this weekend. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

The land being used as collateral was NOT offered to the Kochs, was NOT part of the Request for Proposals that Mr. Hart responded to, and was only reluctantly agreed to by the Commonwealth as Hart and Co. could not get financing without it. Even then, the lender offered far less than was requested.

And that no one stripped the paint off of it!

Having just learned that, your own Tb went over to this point and waved at you all about 10 minutes ago: (This is the most elaborate selfie I've ever attempted, btw!)

I have been awaiting this day for a long time.

^^^ He's actually a member of this forum; I'm sure he'll appreciate your shout out. I second the suggestion to share your compliment with Guest Services. Good feedback is definitely appreciated.

Met and shook hands with some of our active-duty Army folks at Starbucks. Fine bunch. Proud to see them always. Tb @ Starbucks, en-route to the geysers

I would like to see the midways get new lights and such. Something like CP did.

Was at KI 4th of July last year which was Friday and remember crowds not being bad. Only got real busy in evening. Then headed to CP the next day which was Sat the 5th and, again, crowds not bad at all. I think holidays may be a smidge busier than they used to be with the free military tickets ( well deserved to honor our troops) but I still don't notice huge crowds on holidays like people seem to always predict.