CoastersRZ

True. Most people might have been pass holders. But, there might have been some paying customers there. If there were, and they were forced out after only an hour just because it was cold, and they paid for five hours, I`m sure they would have not been pleased and would like to have the chance to experience the park under better conditions. Yes, the park`s policy is to not offer rainchecks or refunds. But what would be the smarter thing to do? Give comp passes to those who paid the general admission price and have them come back a later night and experience the event, maybe spend some money on food and merchandise during their future visit and, hopefully, have a nice impression of the park and want to return in future years. Or, not offer comp passes and say sorry about your luck. We sincerely hope you continue to visit us in the future, thanks for your money. Those customers then might think twice about visiting SFFT. Which is smarter from a business point of view in attracting and keeping potential customers?

Which was a valid reason for closing the park. Compared to just being cold. And at least the day that KI closed WinterFest due to snow, they didn`t even try to open the park. I certainly hope that they gave out comp passes to those that were essentially "booted out of the park."

No, King Cobra closed at the end of the 2001 season. It was removed early in the 2002 season (demolition was roughly 80% done when the park opened in 2002). Construction on Delirium began in September of 2002. And Carter, I`d be careful with what you post on these forums. Make sure your post has valid content and discussion points before submitting a reply or a new post.

That station is looking mighty fine! Also the entire ride just seems to dominate the midways. The train is certainly going to have a lively beginning next year with Diamondback roaring by and above the tracks!

And that guest named Robbie (not to be confused with me) could frequently be seen riding many of the coasters, including The Beast. I didn`t see him as much this past year as I had in past years.

I believe, some one can correct me if I`m incorrect, that KI does in deed collect loose change from the park. However, I believe that Kings Island uses all the loose change they collect to fund a couple of scholarships each year for seasonal associates.

And getting back to the topic of construction of Diamondback, if you check out the webcam, they have some supports up for the hammerhead turn and even some track heading up into the turn is now up.

Very true. I know two years ago when Coney lost power on a busy Saturday afternoon, we started issuing rain checks for guests to come back after the power had been out for an hour and a half. It ended up coming back on after two hours of being out at six o`clock. That day was a stressful day for me, as I was working the Ferris Wheel, and it was fully loaded when we lost power! We were in the process of loading a car, when our hydraulic lift (which raises up to the cars and keeps it from rocking when guests are boarding) just died. I immediately looked next door to the Spin A Ree since we didn`t have power, and sure enough, that ride had just stopped to. Then the radio went crazy! It ended up, that we had about six ride ops pull on the wheel to get it moving so we could unload it. Once it got a little off balance, we were able to unload it the rest of the way. But then we got paid to sit there for two hours. We couldn`t go on break, since the breakroom had no power and couldn`t make any food!

I would be irate if I was a paying customer and was told that the park was closing due to "inclement weather" which was because it was too cold out. It would be different if it was raining or snowing, but to close just because it was cold out? I would be mad if I paid to get in, only to have my time cut short without a proper refund. The translation of the "inclement weather" is that because its cold and not enough people showed up for us to make money, we are going to shut down early, since we already got your money. Sorry about your luck, but we do not offer rain checks or refunds!

Two more pictures from today have been added to the photo gallery at KIDiamondback.com This image show some of the significant progress that has been made on the station. Wood sheathing is going up on the upper level of the station. On the lower level, they have placed the girts between the structural columns to provide bracing for the cladding that will eventually enclose the lower level of the station. Additionally, if you look at the supports for the lift hill on the far left of that picture, you will see what looks like blankets wrapped around the base of the supports. Those are concrete blankets. Those are there because they poured the expansive grout between the top of the footing and the bottom of the steel support. The blanket is there to keep in some of the heat from the grout (as concrete and grout both produce exothermic chemical reactions) so that it can properly cure in this cold weather. I hope some of you enjoyed that little construction process update.

Well, I know that on cold nights, there will be a layer of ice in the outdoor portion of the slides that has to be melted before riders can challenge the slides for the day.

Voted. Thats a nice song, and she has a great voice!

I agree, that water coaster slide packs quite a punch going down that one drop. I know that I was certainly not expecting that when I made a visit to the Great Wolf in September.

I was actually thinking that we`d see pictures of the indoor water park at Great Wolf! Not just pictures of KI from I-71 and from your guest room! How was your visit? Was Bear Track Landing crowded?

And Diamondback isn`t really a first generation B&M hyper. Goliath at SFoG, and Behemoth are two of their latest hyper coaster designs. From what I`ve heard, both coasters are incredible rides. And with Diamondback having the splash down ending, and the fact that the ride is built over and around KI`s midways and attractions and then goes out into the woods will surely help make Diamondback a very interesting and fun ride to experience. Will some people not be happy with the experience of the ride when it opens? Sure. Some people like to complain about everything, even if there is nothing at all to complain about!

The reason that the two sides of the station roof are not symmetrical is because of the fact that one side is the exit and the other side is the entrance side with some room for waiting guests. How is it any different than the station over The Vortex? Even Adventure Express`s station is not symmetrical, as the roof ends much higher above the platform floor than it does on the load side. And Gabe, that should say wood sheathing in progress on the station. Based on the pictures, that will not be the final exterior treatment for the station, but simply the substrate that the final material will be applied to.

I highly doubt that your school encourages kids taking off school for vacations. Rather, they likely realize that it is inevitable that parents will occasionally pull their kids out of school to take family vacations, and those absences will be counted as excused absences. And kids do get vacations from school. National holidays are just one example. Spring break, and Christmas break are two other examples of vacations that kids get from school. And depending on your profession and company that you work for, you get more or less vacation days. And it is also based on seniority, ie the longer you work for a company, the more vacation time you get. I still stand by my original statement. You should not skip school just to ride Diamondback on its first day. Education is far more important than riding a roller coaster on its first day. Kings Island and amusement parks should NOT be placed ahead of school work and attaining a successful education. After all, it is that education that will eventually help you get into a good college program and get a good paying full time job that provides vacation days, so that some day in the future when Kings Island adds that new ride or coaster when you have your full time job, you can use one of your vacation days to visit the park.

And keep in mind that the station is no where near completion yet. Do you see plywood anywhere in Firehawk`s station? They started installing some plywood sheathing today on Diamondback`s station. Just look at Ryan`s post and the photo that Don submitted today of the progress on the station.

Firehawk`s station? I doubt it ends up looking anything like Firehawk`s station!

I have to wonder if these Christmas and holiday events will become the next Halloween for the amusement park industry. Keep in mind that in the mid 1990s, Halloween events were virtually non existent. Now, practically every seasonal park has a Halloween event and they really draw in the crowds. Not to travel down an already well traveled road, but it would be interesting to see if these events end up catching on as a way for seasonal amusement parks to generate revenue during a time when they are normally dormant and doing routine maintenance on all their rides. I don`t see Winterfest returning to Kings Island anytime soon, but the success of these events has to make you wonder if at some point when Cedar Fair has paid down some of their debt (assuming they are still around in several years as Interpreter so deftly points out frequently) if they won`t try some of these winter events as a way to generate more revenue.

And its not like it was just a missed bar here and there. An analysis revealed that roughly 29.2% of the riders who rode that specific ride did not have their restraints properly checked. That is rather alarming! I`m sure that Oakwood will be instituting new safety training programs and regulation if they haven`t done so already!

And remember that trim brakes might slow the train down, but that also means that it will take longer for the train to complete the course. This means that you will be on the ride a longer amount of time and be able to experience the ride an extra fifteen to thirty second longer depending on the trims (like FoF with and without the mid course brakes). If you`ve waited in line for an hour or two, that extra amount of time makes the wait all the more worth it. I know that I am personally glad whenever I ride Son of Beast that the mid course brakes are on as hard as they are. While the second half of the ride is smoother than the rose bowl, it can still produce some roughness, and I`d rather take it at slower speeds than faster speeds.

Which Cedar Fair park does not have a Carousel? I know Kings Island, Carowinds and Kings Dominion all have PTC models, and Great America has a double deck carousel. Does Michigan`s Adventure have a carousel?

Interesting. Well that link yesterday did show an event for Gold and Platinum Pass holders at KI on April 17th from 2-10pm. Looks like any reference to that date on the events page (and now even on the calendar) has been removed.

Well, its foggy outside of my house right now, and I`m in Anderson Township. To be technical about it, the dew point is likely very near the actual temperature, meaning that the air is saturated with moisture and fog has developed.