Leaderboard

Probably around 1989, I was with my cousin playing around in the arcade over by the Zephyr. We walked over to that bowling ball game, and there was this dad playing next to his son. The dad tried it about 3 times and lost. He was really upset because he wanted to win something for his son. The son, who was probably around 7 years old, said "Daddy, let me try." The dad tried to explain how hard it was, and how heavy the ball was, etc. Eventually the dad caved and let the kid have a shot. First try: BOOOM! Nailed it. A perfect try. Great technique. Like a pro. But that wasn't the crazy thing. The dad let him try again. This time the kid closed his eyes when he pushed the ball. BOOOM! Again! Twice in a row. The dad was hollering and the worker kid was hollering. I was hollering. It was amazing. Of course, the kid had to try a third time, to get the biggest prize. By now, a crowd had gathered. Probably 25-30 people. The "guess your weight" barker was even into it. The kid grabs the ball, turns his head around to look at his dad (who was behind him) and said "got it" as he pushed the ball. BOOOOOOOM!!! Crowd went crazy. High fives. Strangers hugging. The dad picked up the kid in his arms. I may have cried. The kid picked the big prize (a bear or something) and they walked off. Incredible. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The link provided below is an updated video content supported by WLWT News 5 and the Kings Island media crew, there many photogenic scenes inclusive such as; the ride entrance, shed, station and train crossing areas to acknowledge a few. I recommend that you all take a peek at this article for Kings Island's newest attraction, Mystic Timbers. You know all of this suspense raises the question of the Kings Island Funpix option, what could they look like? Perhaps riders will be seated in a Chevy C-10 Model truck becoming consumed in medusa-like vines and correlation to the story of #what'sintheshed. What do you all think the funpix photo options will be.....? http://www.wlwt.com/article/sneak-peek-a-look-at-kings-island-s-newest-roller-coaster/9216500

Today's KI Story. Woodstock Express, the beloved John Allen designed roller coaster is to closed at the end of 2017 season , and rebuilt with RMC track. Don was quoted to say that "it is a great coaster that needed more thrilling inversions , because little kids love inversions ! " Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Just tweeted by Cedar Point: Who is "they"?

When it's 55 and breezy, I start to consider shorts as an option. Jeans always feel so restrictive to me. I like wearing them from the fall on, but once it starts getting warm again, SHORTS!

You know the off season is almost over when you spend five hours down at Coney on a Saturday when the rides are still not put back together and doing more than 20 interviews for ride operators.

Very elaborate April Fools joke.

More than one way of seeing in the dark using photoshop. Trust me. No drop track. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

So, I wasn't at the park, but I was looking at the Diamondback web cam to see how long lines were since I was considering going later that day (this happened around noon). And off to the side, two people sprinted across the path to the left of the Diamondback, ran through the grass next to Backlot Stunt Coaster, and then jumped the railing to get in line. I just sat there for a while kind of shocked.

Dude, it's hot outside. I am not wearing "going out" clothes to KI. I'm in a tee and shorts. I enjoy KI for rollercoasters and rides, not as a potential dating service. Plus, I absolutely hate the idea of jeans in the summer. I am not sure why anybody does that...

Conversely, some GP would be surprised how rough a wooden coaster can be and still be popular now that SOB had its accident and now is gone. KIs woodies arent nearly as rough as they used to be thankfully. Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

I think The Racer will get some major trackwork done soon. I think a lot of the GP will be surprised how smooth wooden coasters can be after they ride MT.

I've seen a plethora of animals in the park as well. Gophers are pretty common, but I've also seen owls and red tailed hawks on the train bridge as viewed from the WWC queue. Also have seen deer while riding the train.

I am so excited for the Iron Horse remake! Mean Streak was definitely one of the weakest coasters at CP, so now it's being changed to potentially one of the strongest.

That's a better idea then mine!! A Eurofighter would definitely fit over there, but I think they would have to replace Congo Falls if that happened because I think they are saving the SOB station/area as room for our inevitable giga. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I know that's right. Hard to b believe that Vortex is 30 this year. I rode it the year it opened as a 7 year old. Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

If it were to be removed, I believe there would be enough room for a Gerstlauer Eurofighter. I think it would be a great addition to the park, and would provide enough room for additional decoration, plants, and trees in the areas it doesn't touch on that plot of land.

Regarding Racer getting RMCed: I've come to the decision that I'd love to see RMC tackle The Racer, but ONLY if the layout is not changed. Shut it down after this season, rip out all of the wooden track and replace it all with the steel Iron Horse track, deconstruct and rebuild supports as needed, give the whole thing a fresh coat of paint, and reopen it in spring of 2019. But leave the layout and the racing aspect alone.

Exactly 2 weeks until we finally get to ride Mystic Timbers!

I really want my first ride on MT to be in the back row but i really want a front seat ride at night. I'm not if we would have enough time to do both on Friday though. This time in two weeks I'll be at the park!!!

Long time lurker here...but I finally joined up. Had a handle a bit last year but lost my login and couldn't retrieve it. I'm no enthusiast, but love KI and can say this is the kind of ride they need...not record breaking but it just looks like so much fun. Hills, theme, the shed gimmick...pure fun and I can't wait to check it out! Thanks for the great site!

I'd rather be stuck on The Great Pumpkin coaster for a thousand years than KI getting a 4D "Free Fly" Coaster like the Six Parks have been getting.

Just ride thunder run at the kingdom. It's fairly similar mirrored and it has had some lovin in recent years, so it rides well.. let alone having a new train this year for it Btw- i thought we'd've gotten at least one stoke construction update video from the park for MT but unfortunately not

I would think that a day at a park other than KI would be taking some of the market. I am a big fan of KK, but I spend more days at KI. For me, it is nice to have an option to drive slightly more than an hour and ride some coasters that drive three hours for a long day at KI. But KK can't fill the KI void. That's why it's nice to have options.

Hi guys so before i begin I would like to say this is where I will post any trip reports from parks I have visited this year! Without a do, I recently went to Great Wolf Lodge in Mason, Ohio for a couple days before heading to Kentucky Kingdom for an event on Saturday (that trip report is still in the editing phase). Anyways one big note-able change from last year is that Starbucks is now....................gone. The gift store is now one big place with one entrance and where the entrance was originally occupied with Starbucks, has now been turned into a Dunkin' Donuts! Slide Reviews: -Water Coaster: Not as long as the other three I have rode (Deluge, Mammoth and Wildebeest) but fun and enjoyable! -Family raft slide: Really fun! Did it once with three people and it paced pretty good but with 5 people in one tube................................WOW -Bowl slide: as always a fun ride and if you have a heavy mass like some people (Myself) do, you get some good spins. One thing that I do want to point out and you can see it in the picture showing off whats behind the lodge, they have some open space to maybe build another wing onto the waterpark or add a couple slides to the outdoor park. That's just my thought though. (If you look closely in the one zoomed in picture, you can see Bat trains on the track!)

When I listen to Adele's "Send My Love (To Your New Lover)" multiple times a day purely because I have associated it to Kings Island thanks to the numerous times I have heard it there. I even have it associated with a specific moment I somehow remember vividly: ~10 minutes before park closing on Labor Day 2016, when I was sipping Minute Maid lemonade from my newly refilled souvenir cup while walking past a 2-9 Vortex on the way to WindSeeker to take my last flight of the evening.

Last year I remember seeing a skunk sauntering in the area between approximately Delirium and AE around dusk. I was all like "oooh, so cute!" and one of the employees mentioned there was a whole family living in the area. I was told once by a certain employee (PrincessSparkles) there were wild turkeys living near Beast's helix, but I've never seen them nor learned whether she was joking.

On 3/25/17 electricsun and I met up with malem, chugh43 and pianoman at Carowinds for their opening day for 2017. Got to the gates at 8:45 AM to see them a few cars ahead of us. We got out and chatted with them until they opened the gates right around 9:00 AM. We then got parked and up to the gates about 9:20 AM. As we waited for the turnstiles to open electricsun and I got a picture. After the 10 AM rope drop we headed to Fury for the first ride of the day. Oh my goodness guys. This ride is amazing. This was what I was expecting out of Mille the first time I rode it. I love Millie, but this really takes the cake! An the themeing and sign are awesome! All of us together! We rode Vortex, their B&M stand up. Much better than Mantis (at least on your knees.) We then hit up Ricochet their Wild mouse. I like their wild mouse better than KD's. Here is our Funpix thanks to Chugh43. We then went to Nighthawk where we waited about 35 minutes to ride. A lot like Firehawk, but not totally. The layout was a little different at the end. It takes a great picture! After that it was off to Intimidator. I think i I rank DB over it by a slight margin. We then went to Harmony Hall for Lunch. We so need an additional building for KI that servers the same food. I had a fresh beef brisket sandwich with BBQ sauce and Mac N cheese on the meal plan. It was very good and cut right in front of me. Excellent meal. We then meet up Laresa Thompson, the PR manager of Carowinds. Very nice lady, and we chatted for several minutes. The Mods got a picture with her as well. She and I standing in County Fair. Here is the group being silly at a Funpix location Up next was Carowinds looping Arrow, Carolina Cyclone. A fun little Arrow. electricsun in a county fair sign. Then we did their tiny Drop Tower. Same color scheme as ours, but 1/3 of the height. Still a fun Drop Tower. We then hit up Goldrusher, Zephy, BBOBH, and then Afterburn! I put it right after Banshee! There was literally no head banging for me on this ride. We then hit up Plans Vs. Zombies, which is cool but not my type of ride. Right next to them was Yo-Yo a swing ride which was fun. Next up was Flying Eagles, I mean the Gliders. A fun set, but they ride nothing like KI's. I was not successful at even getting much air. I needed a few more rides on them to learn the differences. Then we did the Peanuts Pirates, which is a must do!! Hurler, WindSeeker, and then is was getting dark so back to Fury! The lighting is awesome! The guys getting ready for a night ride! It is hard to not take pictures of Fury. Here we are on our way our after a full day of Carowinds. We had a great time, and thanks to the other guys for making it a fun day as well. I will be back! The train is so fast it was a blur! I hope you enjoyed the PTR, If you can get to Carowinds do it. You will love it!

My view right now

Maybe "they" are the Outlaws, perhaps? But seriously, CP is finally saying something regarding RMC Mean Streak! Wonder what'll happen next...

I only wear jeans in the winter when all my sweats are in the wash! Those things are incredibly scratchy and everyone is always perplexed as to why I hate jeans! I would only ever wear my shorts unless it's Haunt season!

Would be awesome if they slid shut, though.

I drove past the park last night and can confirm I witnessed the ride cycling at around 8:00pm EST. It looks amazing & the back row looks to be an incredible experience on the first drop. SO excited for April 14th!

I would love to see some classic flats put into Kings Island.

I hope it wont be miserably hot in the summer Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

Larger picture. (Trust me, I tried to brighten the image to see inside. Doesn't work.

Hopefully audio Edit- lol idk why I do this

My design is a combination of a mine cart ride and a dark ride, essentially Adventure Express meets The Phantom Theater. It would start off slow as you navigate through a haunted house or opera and then speed up with twists and turns and ups and down as you "evade" ghouls. Sort of like a chase through a Phantom Theater-like setting.

Thanks to everybody who provided the reports. It is nice to hear that Mr. Hart has a good and realistic view of the park's challenges.

I saw this online today and it made me grin from ear to ear. Just around 15 more days left! https://www.pinterest.com/pin/292945150743576684/

I didn't really know where to put this, so I figured this was good. I've been thinking about it a long time posting this, but I just couldn't keep any of this to myself. So, I thought I'd share my Kings Island story. I have to warn you though, it's pretty long. lol Kings Island. It's a place where coaster enthusiast, thrill seekers, and families go for summer break or to just have a good time. Kings Island opened on April 29th,1972,in Mason, OH. At the time I wasn't born yet. But I would someday get there. I was born in December of 2000. Same year that the massive Son of Beast opened as the first hyper wooden coaster at 218 feet and the first woodie to have a loop. I've been to Kings Island 16 times in my 16 years of life, and have spent about 55 hours at the park. My first visit to Kings Island was on August 13th, 2002. I was 1 and half. Little did I know that a little over 12 years I would grow to love Kings Island very much. This is how Kings Island has changed my life. Kings Island to me is more than just an amusement park. It's everything else with it. Great coasters, food, shows,etc. When I'm near or at the park, I just feel diffrent. I feel happy, and at peace knowing I'm in my favorite place. The sounds of the anti roll back clacking, people screaming, the whoosh of the ride as it passes by,smell of fresh cut potato fries, chain lube coaster oil from The Beast, Racer and Vortex. I've set goals, and have achieved them on account of Kings Island.When I'm going through hard times in my life, I just think of how many days till I go to Kings Island again and all the fun memories I've had. When I walk through those turnstiles, I become a whole diffrent person. Smiling the whole day till it's time to leave. I didn't like roller coasters that much till the end of 2012, early 2013. My first big coaster in Hanna Barba Land now Planet Snoopy, was The Beastie, now known as Woodstock Express. I remember it very well. I was scared so bad! In the ride photo, I'm clinging onto my mother and have a terrified look on my face. I first rode The Beast, Racer, Adventure Express, Backlot Stunt Coaster on September 7th, 2009. First time on The Bat, I almost had a bathroom attack, it looked so big! I don't rememeber my first time on Adventure Express, but I do remember I always held onto someone's arm and I hated the end! I don't really rememeber first time on Backlot either but I wasn't scared too much. I can't rememeber my first time on The Racer. First time I rode The Beast, because I was so scared and trying to hold onto my mom's arm, I got a huge purple knot on my left elbow. I swore to myself never to ride it again. Till later... I didn't ride Beast when I went back the next year on August 26th, 2010. We never went to Kings Island in 2011. We went 2 times in 2012 though. The first trip was July 17th, 2012. I refused to go near The Beast since I remember what happened the last time with my arm. But I did ride Diamondback. The 230 foot, 80 miles an hour hyper coaster. I came so close to telling my sister I didn't want to ride. But I got on, heart beating like a crazy, held a tight grip on my sisters hand. By the end of the ride, I was smiling and wanted to ride it again. Rode it 3 more times that day. Second trip to Kings Island was on August 6th, 2012.My oldest sister convinced me to give The Beast one more chance. And I did. It wasn't as rough as I remembered. In fact I loved it! Rode it in the dark that night, and absoulutly fell in love with it. That following winter I looked up more on Kings Island, park history, ride stats, past ride stats, where past rides used to be. My first time back to Kings Island after looking so much of it up was May 21st, 2013. That was when Banshee was being built but no one knew what it was at the time. Fast forward to the night of August 8th, 2013. The night Kings Island announced Banshee as the longest inverted roller coaster at 4,124 feet long. I got chills when I first saw the POV and thought "I'm going to ride that next year." So, I followed along with Banshee's construction. Saw basically every piece be placed, the trains arriving, testing of the ride, and opening day. Saved a lot of conststrution pics from Kings Island's twitter, and saved interviews with the park about the ride. I also memorized basically everything about Banshee, and a lot about the park. I started a Kings Island notebook that has ride stats, past ride stats, where old rides used to be, deaths, ride records, trivia, and a little story of how Kings Island started. May 23rd, 2014. One of the biggest days of my life. I was going to ride my first inverted roller coaster. I saw Banshee and I just froze. It was one of the most beutiful rides I've seen. The color,theming, size. It was perfect. Got in line only waited 15 minutes. Nervously I got into the seat, pulled down the overhead, buckled in. I heard "all clear!" then the train started moving. I just thought "I've been waiting since August 8th, 2013. All the times I watched the POV's saw the track being put together, and here I am going up the longest inverted coaster in the world." I screamed from the first drop to the brakes, and as the ride came to an end I was all smiles! Got back in line and rode it again. This time in the front row. Oh was it an amazing feeling. You feel like you own the world on the front row of Banshee. My second trip that year to Kings Island was on August 9th, 2014. Just one day after it had been a year since Banshee was announced. It was a Saturday. So we had to wait almost 2 hours to ride Banshee. It was worth it though. Getting to ride Beast again was amazing too. I only went to Kings Island once in 2015. It was May 22nd, 2015. The next time I went was May 27th, 2016. I had to wait a very hard 370 days without stepping one foot into Kings Island. It was really tough going so long without being in my favorite place. But my comfort was that I was only an hour and 45 minutes away, and it will all be worth the wait when I go again. May 27th had finally came. Not only was I excited about riding my favorite rides again like The Beast.I was very excited to see what was going on in Rivertown across from Red's Hall Of Fame Grille. I knew it had to be a roller coaster. Then Pulling down that lap bar on Beast, hearing the anti roll back, and the smell of the coaster chain lube after going 370 without all of that was just amazing, I went 5 times to Kings Island in 2016. : May 27th, June 9th, August 9th, October 21st, and October 29th. Riding 95 rides that year, getting my 40th ride in on Racer. I've rode 228 rides in my 15 years of going to KI. 368 roller coasters totaled up. 53 miles traveled on The Beast 24 miles traveled on Diamondback 25.9 traveled on Racer 7.9 miles traveled on Vortex 18.7 miles travaled on Banshee 7.6 miles traveled on The Bat 4.5 miles traveled on Backlot Stunt Coaster 1.9 miles traveled on Firehawk 1 mile traveled on Flight of Fear 1.3 miles traveled Flying Ace Aeriel Chase 0.6 miles traveled on Invertigo 0.3 miles traveled on Great Pumpkin Coaster 5.1 miles traveled on Woodstock Express 62 feet traveled on Adventure Express I have traveled 163.5 miles on Kings Island roller coasters, 73.8 miles in 2016, and 224.4 miles on roller coasters combined in the past 14 years. The biggest reason I am a coaster enthusiast is because of The Beast and Diamondback at Kings Island. I am who I am today because of Kings Island. I know now that I want to work in a communications department at a Cedar Fair park, mainly Kings Island. My whole entire room is basically covered in Kings Island stuff and souvenirs. My past, present and future is all Kings Island as of now in growing up, my job career, and when I have a family of my own. I know we'll go a lot when we can. Again. Thank you from the bottom of my heart Kings Island. I am more patient, more kind, more everything because of this amazing park and the people working in it.I'm so blessed and thankful I have a 2017 gold pass so I can go to the park a lot this year! You'll see me mainly at Racer, The Beast, and maybe even Mystic Timbers this summer. Thank you for taking your time out reading this. It took awhile to write. I hope maybe some of you can share below what Kings Island is to you, and what kind of person you are cause of it, or just whatever. What I consider my home.

I'm saying he said there wasn't a $25-$30M coaster. That's the point.

I feel like a Vekoma Boomerang or a Gravity Group shuttle woodie would fit in KK well.

Mr Heart seemed specifically interested in people's opinions of Kings Island. Incorrect. Mr Hart responded to a hypothetical question posed to him. The question asked if we was "granted a wish for anything at KK, what would it be?" His response was that he wish he could know if adding a $20-$30M coaster would increase attendance significantly. He said that otherwise, it would be too big of a gamble since the market had drastically changed from 20 years ago when a large attraction install meant large attendance results. He then cited HW as an example saying they installed a B&M and their attendance went down. He also cited the previous times of large coaster installs at KK came at a time when "Kings Island wasn't installing big coasters." I attended the event. It was a very nice of the park to hold the tour, provide a free lunch and for Mr Hart to share his time with those that attended. I had a good time, and have nothing but good things to say about the generosity they showed. I will point out, that the most noteworthy thing of the day (for me) was when Mr Hart used the term "urban park." Mr Hart recognizes the biggest challenges he faces at KK - and it has nothing to do with rides. That was refreshing to hear.

I think it was down (not keeping time, no hands) a good deal of the 2015 season, so I was pleasantly surprised with its new cement face that includes planters in the shape of letters forming "Kings Island" They definitely seem to have stepped back up their landscaping game this last season and it makes me very happy. At one point they had food-bearing plants back by the restrooms near WindSeeker (tomatoes, peppers, pumpkins). It delighted me because it was unexpected. I hope somebody had a couple dinners off the fruits before they changed it out again.

^Not really. The forecast isn't that accurate from this far off. Wait until, like, 2 days before opening day to get a more accurate reading. silver2005, who took a weather based geology class in college as an elective and aced the class.

When you move into Island Club because it has a view of the park, and you start designing your dining room accordingly... The tower decal I got at Menard's. I'm having photos of Banshee and Diamondback from last season blown up into box-canvas paintings at FedEx Office, and I'm going to hang them on either side of the mirror. We also have candles whose fragrances are like those in the park during the summer. When family comes over this season, I want them to feel the excitement of being near the park the night before. Still a work in progress, but a dream-come-true. Yeah, big fan here.

I'm actually pretty happy to hear it's a 4. This sounds like a great coaster that families could ride together in case they have one chicken in the family like mine did (it was me).

From a professional standpoint, parking garage fires suck. You never get just one car, since they are in close proximity, it's always at least 3 and usually more than that. They are personnel and labor intensive to deal with. Getting hoses and equipment where it needs to be always takes longer than it should and you can never really access all the parts of the car you want. They usually don't have sprinkler systems since they are outdoor environments. You're lucky if they have a standpipe. 8 cars, would probably involve enough personnel for a 2 alarm structure fire. You also have to worry about weakening concrete falling after fire exposure. The moisture in it causes it to explode and fall apart as the heat expands the moisture, something firefighters call spalling. I'd say they were lucky enough to get enough people quickly to put it out and limit it to just 8 vehicles. There are many garages around Cincinnati where a quick extinguishment just wouldn't be possible.

^As long as it's best job. Also, when you work right next to the park, and keep watching for rides testing every day even if its 20 degrees outside.